Today, I just let my thoughts go where they were going to go. Here is what materialized:
1) It is easy for us, at times, to believe that we are entitled to be sad because of events that have occurred in our lives. I have expressed that sentiment on several occasions in my life. What I have discovered today is that sadness is meant to be honored as part of our human experience. By honoring sadness, we learn from it and grow because of our willingness to embrace it.
2) I believe that society overemphasizes the need for us to be happy to achieve our life's purpose. If we unconditionally subscribe to that belief, we set ourselves up for failure. In reality, it is our ability to authentically acknowledge our emotions in the moment that helps us achieve clarity and contentment during our life journeys.
3) Accepting others as they are all the time is challenging. Many of us struggle with accepting ourselves as we are, and have specific beliefs and biases that preclude total acceptance of certain members of the human race. Allowing ourselves to share those biases with people that we trust to be objective is just as important as practicing acceptance of others. Acknowledging those biases are also a step to accepting ourselves as we are and allowing us to become more aware of how we relate to ourselves and the world around us.
4) I become angry when someone tries to script my experience. I was in a class some time ago, where the facilitator wanted the participants to write a statement that was evidence of self love. The facilitator also wanted each individual to say" And I offer this up to you", after we read our statement. If I am willingly disclosing an expression of self-love to a group, I am already offering it to the group. Nothing more needs to be said. I was determined to be the author of my own experience so I read my statement of self-love and left it at that. Of course, she(the facilitator) asked me :" And are you offering this up to the group?" I replied that I already did. My reality doesn't necessarily need to be your experience and your experience doesn't necessarily need to be my reality. We process our experiences in a language and style that provides the greatest benefits to our evolution as spiritual beings.
5) I feel centered when I embrace intention.
6) I wish I knew? I don't. What I need to know will be revealed to me in time, as long as I trust in the universe's ability to address my needs.
7) The key to spiritual growth is paying attention to what is happening around us and discovering how things are connected.
8) Spiritual human beings are not powerful; they are empowered.
9) I know that there is emphasis on living in the moment so that we can become more fulfilled and grounded. The past however contains rich lessons that can shape how we live in the present, and therefore should not be ignored.
10) This is one from the "I thought I heard everything department": I spent some time recently with a dear friend whose son died earlier this year. She told me that a person actually said these comforting words to her: "He was doing ok until he died." Admittedly, I was rendered speechless. This is one to add to the list of things not to say to a parent who has experienced the death of a child.
11) Finally, I will end with this gem from George Carlin, my favorite comedian:"I went to a bookstore and asked the saleswoman, 'Where's the self-help section?' She said if she told me, it would defeat the purpose." As therapists or companions to the bereaved ,we can only point out the resources that are available and assist them in developing the skills and confidence to access them. Bereaved individuals then need to take that first step....... when they are ready to do so.
Wishing you all peace.
