Thoughts
For me, scarcity and fear of the dark still creep in on a regular basis. However! I have noticed that I spend much less time tending to them now that I am aware of the power of gratitude and joy. I can choose to say "Hello worry, thanks for stopping by, I prefer to have tea with gratitude today." And I am finding that worry stops by much less often and doesn't stay as long.
According to Brené Brown's research, a resilient spirit requires good problem solving skills, good emotional regulation skills, willingness to reach out for help, faith that life will go on, solid support connections and being resourceful and having an infinite sense of humor helps a lot!
For me personally it is not completely natural for me to offer myself compassion. It seems like making excuses and detrimental to learning from mistakes. I think I deserve to be criticized and am on guard to not make mistakes much of the time. It can be exhausting!
Being our authentic selves is not easy. So many of us don’t really know who we are and what we want we can’t see our authentic selves. God bless those of you who have this down. It is a daily struggle for me and takes awareness (hence my mindfulness practice – had to get that in there!) and a willingness to be honest and the ability to let go of worrying about what other people think.
I’ve been pretty stoic about my kids leaving home. I prepared for it by returning to school while they were in high school and going back to work as they entered college (yes….to pay the tuition bills…but also to fill my time.) Because I did “build my life around” them and now my job is to let them go. But to tell the truth, I really do miss them a whole heart full and to the moon and back and to eternity and beyond.
OMG…I spent the last month worrying about something that I now know was based on a false belief! Not only did I waste time worrying, I was angry at times and my back hurt and I was avoiding things. Turns out it was a problem that took an hour to solve.
Transitions are a part of life. Some come with much fanfare and celebration and others with sadness and grief. I find that we are often caught off guard by the impact of the happier transitions and at a loss as to how to process the sadder times. Mindful living can help with transitions. Being aware of the variety of emotions and acknowledging them will help you move through transitions with grace.
As much as we strive for independence we must remember that we are all interconnected and dependent on other people using their talents and having diversity in their ability and capacity. Everyone has value and "counts" and anyone who can’t see that is probably living in fear of not counting themselves.
So many of us fumble through our relationships and never stop to think about what a healthy relationship looks like. It is important to remind ourselves now and then.
Remember, we can only control our own actions and often that is enough to make meaningful change in a relationship.
When we were watching the movie Selma my husband was astounded at the hatred and anger that he saw in white families who were hurling stones and verbal insults at the marchers. But if we turn our backs and post Freddie Gray’s arrest record to justify his death, we are no better. Freddie Gray was a human being and he deserved to be treated with respect. Those who try to justify it do so from a sense of guilt. If you feel guilty do something positive, say a prayer, go meet with the oppressed in your community and see their humanity first hand.
