There aren’t many things in existence that seem more archaic than the Illinois Secretary of State. Perhaps the bones of an ancient, long-since-extinct Pterodactyl standing at the Museum of Science might have it beat.
Let me preface all of this by first expressing the gratitude I have for the folks down there at the Sec of State. Their jobs cannot be easy, and having to deal with crab apples and bizarre circumstances all day long has got to require some sort of God-given talent of patience. If they weren’t there to be the bridges between the out-dated and dysfunctional internal infrastructure of the institution and us everyday humans caught up in our own small, self-centered little stories of whatever-the-day, the process of getting a license plate sticker, title transfer, ID, etc would be even more difficult.
Needless to say, I had some apprehension about today’s visit… I could sense the waiting lines forming with each sip of coffee. But I had reluctantly set my alarm for the butt crack of dawn and got my H.A. (that’s an abbreviation for happy-ass) down to the facility.
To save you the minutiae of the story, which soon you’ll see isn’t the point of this blog post, I wasn’t able to renew my sticker online, and despite the attempted phone calls, all I knew was that I was to report to the Secretary of State office to suss out the matter in person. I was going in blind! I’d hoped I brought everything I needed… you know, the SS card, utility bill, grocery bill, DNA sample, yesterday’s socks, the whole kit-and-caboodle.
Unexpectedly, there was no line. There was a tumbleweed blowing across the parking lot. “Surely this can’t be right,” I thought as I approached the building. I hadn’t seen things this empty since Stephen King’s The Stand.
Turns out, today was my lucky day! There were two other people already waiting, and there was only a half an hour until opening. I’d be able to grab my sticker and go! Little did I know, I was destined for an exercise in futility.
Attempt #1: Nope. The very kind cashier did tell me why and what I needed to do. But, you guessed it, I did not have what I needed in hand. So, back home I went to rifle through some papers. I was skating the line between amusement and anger and it wasn’t even 8am yet.
That feeling of waiting lines forming like rush hour traffic on a Friday afternoon re-appeared. I couldn’t be that lucky again. So back home I zipped, trying to Golden Key and set my crown to gold without speeding or driving like a maniac.
Golden Keying is a technique we use a lot in our teachings at BlissNinny. First penned by Emmett Fox, golden keying is a simple technique you can use whenever you feel negative feelings such as anxiety, discomfort, anger, or fear. You simply stop thinking about the issue at hand, state aloud “I am going to golden key [this situation],” and begin stating all that you know as truth about God, or the Universe. Fox provides some mantras to have on hand, but you can use any phrase you like. I like to use “God is love.” I have found that cycling through these mantras long enough creates a shift that is palpable and significant, especially when you can keep it going (for over 20 minutes) until you feel the shift in your body.
Setting your crown to gold is another technique that I often unintentionally minimize and forget to do. When you can match the color of your crown chakra to a soft, metallic gold, you create a vibration that nothing can stick to. Moreover, this is the vibration of compassion that J.C. brought to the planet upon his incarnation. When I set my crown to gold, I can feel a particular sense of fortification in my spirit, a sense of protection, and a great deal of enthusiasm and empowerment in my space.
So there I was. Tooling across Green Bay Rd in my Subaru trying to mind my tools and not succumb to the angry monologue saying: “You know, if their way of doing things didn’t SUCK, they could have just told me what they needed via my online inquiries and blocked attempts…” It was SO tempting to go there.
Surprisingly, I walked right in, no line (!), and up to a kind woman at the window.
Attempt #2: Nice try, honey. The very kind cashier told me that I also needed a check or money order. You think I thought to bring my checkbook? Nah…
So off to a Western Union I went. Unbelievable! There will surely be a line when I get back to the facility this time. (Man, do you think I didn’t want to wait in a line today?)
Got the dough. Check. Got all the papers. Check. There was a line now. Check. All is going to plan!
Until, that cashier from before gripped me hard and raised me from perdition. “Got everything you need? Here you go Sir!” She handed me a ticket with a call number, bypassing the line.
I took my resting place in the chair where I felt a little more content with the morning. Okay, home stretch now! I actually don’t mind waiting, I’ll just pull out my book and–
My number was called. I love how resistance works.
So this dog finally had its day. And in hindsight, it was actually a minor event at the Illinois Secretary of State. The people whom I encountered and worked with were super kind and helpful, my issue sorted, and I had an early-morning exercise in managing my energy and watching how I am simultaneously creating and perceiving the events of the present moment.
I could really benefit by doing some added energy work around waiting in lines, though!