Don’t ignore those little whispers … don’t give yourself permission to talk yourself out of them without some careful consideration.
They might be just be that still, small voice of your inner wisdom trying to adjust your sails in a meaningful way.
With deepest respect for intuition, Karen
Source Unknown
And they pegged Marilyn Monroe as a ditsy blonde … and … we should be careful we are not erroneously judging a book by it’s cover. It’s easy to do.
But, I am inclined to think she was on to something here …
What if she is right …? How would it shift your world if you chose to seek out the potential for light in the seemingly obvious dark?
Karen ❤
Source Unknown but deeply appreciated!
Enough said … ❤
One of the hardest lessons for me to learn in my healing process was to let go of the past. Early in the separation, I had naively believed that it would be helpful for my former husband and I to discuss the marriage breakdown and even the marriage prior to that.
It took me far too long to realize that I was causing myself ongoing pain and re-opening wounds by doing that.
He did not remember many of the events and words that had cut me open and shattered my heart. Moments and words are seared into my memory forever because they were so shocking and devastating to me. But, he did not remember. So, my pain was minimized or questioned.
The axe forgets but the tree remembers.
For awhile I tried to sort out all the reasons for this or whether he really did remember but was hiding from…
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What if, as Byron Katie claims, “Everything is happening FOR you not TO you”?
What if there was gift, lesson, and/or blessing hidden within the struggles, challenges, circumstances and situations that you are resisting in your life? Would you be willing to look for it?
I know that when I am faced with a painful moment, my life always works better for me when I willing to ask myself this powerful question:
“If there was another way to see this, what would it be?”
Warmest hugs,
Karen
Source Unknown
As my amazing 86 year old mother-in-law has often lamented: “It’s always something.”
And, as life unfolds before us … I have learned that she is right. Sometimes it seems ‘good’ and sometimes it feels ‘bad’. But for sure, we are always meeting the next something. We welcome the ‘good’ times with open arms, but very few of us embrace the ‘bad’ ones.
But … what if we decided to be completely open and resist nothing.
As Byron Katie says, “You don’t have to like it, it’s just easier if you do.”
It’s not like we have much control over what happens anyway. We like to believe we do but …
May we be wise enough to roll with the punches and make time to savor the joys … because … this too shall pass!
It always does … Karen
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I LOVE this perspective. I really LOVE this perspective. And … I give thanks to all the brave and courageous souls who have embraced their ‘differences’ and endeavored to carve out space in our world for themselves AND all those authentic and unique spirits to be honored, acknowledged, embraced … and eventually, with enough advocacy … celebrated. Yes, differences can be celebrated … not … merely tolerated.
Celebrating all the unique possibilities yet to unfold, Karen
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When I saw this quote … I noticed my head nodding in solemn but silent recognition that we have a choice about how we will respond when people hurt us. We can remain victims of their recklessness disregard of our hearts … or … we can choose to look for the lesson in the exchange, decide to find the blessing in the challenge, or as the old adage goes – we can make lemonade from lemons.
It’s not always the easiest choice to make, but it IS the most empowering choice. Some years ago I was targeted unfavorably by someone in my workplace. I allowed it all to wreak havoc with my self-esteem for years. I tolerated malicious gossip and inexcusable deeds to slowly poison my entire workplace. I kept hoping that if I took the high road and ignored it, it would eventually stop. It didn’t. My passive response appeared to be an invitation to ramp it up even more.
After one particularly painful assault on my soul … I realized that I could keep turning the other cheek OR I could stand up for myself. I realized I was being offered an opportunity to teach people how to treat me.
And, once I got the message that was tucked into that mess … I unwrapped a whole new cacophony of gifts that were just waiting for me. Most surprisingly, there were so many blessings tucked into that challenge that I ended up identifying them in another blog post entitled Better Because You Were Not the Least Bit Nice.
As I look back on it now, I can truly say that I am grateful for what I learned … not for what I had to go through to learn it, but grateful for the lessons. Truly.
Holding hope that you , too, will seek out the messages that might be hiding in any messes you are experiencing, Karen
T
There are so many moments, circumstances, events, situations, abilities, capacities, people and things that I mindlessly step over each day in pursuit of something else. I recognize that I do myself a grave disservice when I fail to claim the magic inherent in those moments. And … every time I pause … even briefly to let myself experience an iota of gratitude and appreciation, I can feel a shift in my whole system.
I am challenging myself to notice at least one thing each day that I have previously taken for granted. And so, right now as I write this, I have become aware that I have taken my literacy for granted. In this moment, I am savoring the fact that I can read and write. I am noticing how full my life is because of that ability. And then of course I must also give thanks for my eyes. And that brings me to the literary world … wouldn’t have much to be grateful for if there wasn’t a whole world of words to nourish my spirit and nurture my soul.
Yikes … it appears that one moment of being acutely aware of our blessings morphs itself into a vicious cycle of appreciation!! 🙂
May our days be filled with awareness of such sparks of delight, Karen
Yes … you might have to read that again in order to let it land. Maybe a couple of times.
There is something so deeply nourishing about having a good chuckle … or even better … one of those belly laughs that make your cheeks hurt. On those days when it all seems like too much … when the weight of life and love and soldiering on become burdensome – we must deliberately seek out a good laugh.
Yes, even when it feels like there is nothing even remotely humorous to smile about … or … even when it feels like laughing would be a betrayal of the pain/sadness you are currently marinating within. For example, six years ago today, my dad passed over …. very unexpectedly at an outdoor BBQ with family. He had just loaded his plate and proclaimed “This is great!” And, that was it. My heart feels tender in recollection … but I know he would not want me to sulk away the day. So I am reminding myself to have a laugh.
A good laugh has helped me get through some of the worst times in my life. In fact, sometimes there is nothing left to do but laugh. Finding the humor in something becomes a very adaptive response that says …“Okay … you got me.” And once we concede that there is no point arguing with something we cannot control …we are able to carry on, move forward and free ourselves from the frustration of the moment.
This conversation reminds me of that old Zen proverb that says “Let go … or be dragged.” There is something about the wisdom in those words that makes me snicker quietly to myself. Maybe it’s because I have been ‘dragged’ more than I dare to admit. Anyway, some of those ‘trying’ moments in our lives actually become the perfect fodder for some great story telling once they are in far enough in the ‘past’.
So, I saw this little cartoon on Pintrest the other day … and … yes, I laughed out loud. It spoke about THAT part of me … that part of me that appears to be capable, competent and have it all together. Yes … it tickled my funny bone and I had a little chuckle at myself with myself. A good giggle really can take the edge off the inevitable ‘irritablilties’ in life.
The good news is that we don’t have to wait around for something to spontaneously spark our laughter. Everyday, we get a chance to make life better/brighter by purposely cultivate a laugh or two … i.e. choose to watch a funny movie, check out some jokes on-line, read some greeting cards in the ‘humor’ section, call a funny friend etc. You get the idea …
What makes you laugh? For example, I don’t really get the humor in movies like “Home Alone” but watching my husband howling until the tears are tricking down his cheeks while watching them gets me going too. I also find it entirely hilarious when little kittens are frolicking and jump straight sideways and then topple over. It makes my heart smile just thinking about that right now. Anyway, I’d love for you to leave a few thoughts about what makes you chuckle in the comments section. Let’s share some laughs …
Hoping we all remember to deliberately put some big toothy grins into our days, Karen
When they say “it’s unbecoming” … it means that we are not following the ‘shoulds’, ‘oughts’ and ‘musts’ that frame their expectations of who they want us to be. But, perhaps, it is precisely in UNbecoming that we get to embrace our most authentic, real and truthful place.
Perhaps it’s unbecoming … but entirely essential to being the best expression of who we can be in the world. Perhaps it is in the un-ravelling of expectations that we can truly find a sacred space to stand in our own integrity.
I’ll meet you there … Karen
Live a Great Life Anyway ... 