How would the person I am today handle the situations of my life decades ago? I imagine, more grounded and with relative ease. It’s difficult for me to see it any other way, considering that I would expect to be more prepared for a journey that I’ve already taken.
Keep
We don’t have to keep everything we face, but we will have to face everything we keep.
Singing
“Slaves sing most when they are most unhappy. The songs of the slave represent the sorrows of his heart; and he is relieved by them… At least, such is my experience.”
Convinced
My colleague was convinced that she would be fired. There was a daily routine that consisted of her rattling off all the reasons why her termination was an inevitable conclusion. Her arguments were so persuading, that she convinced me my job might be in jeopardy too. If it wasn’t for the fact that I dreamed of being fired, it may have had a major impact on me.
Familiar
We can relax in environments and situations that are familiar. The more time we spend with something, the more familiar we become.
We can have a level of familiarity with things that are good for us. But, our level of familiarity does not indicate that something is good.
Ready
“Ready. Set. Go.” Those are the familiar commands given at the start of a race.
Ready preps our awareness; set is our cue to get in position; and go is our signal to move into action.
Words
The feelings come before the words. Words alone can rarely express the depth of our feelings.
When I am feeling the most, my words get lost. When I want to feel more, words are never enough.
The most
I didn’t have a conventional seat in the station wagon, those were reserved for my older siblings, not me, the youngest of seven girls. But, I made something out of my space and used a little creativity to make it the best passenger experience. This wasn’t considered anything special, my entire family had an exceptional talent for making something out of nothing.
… The most
Censorship
Censorship is the official suppression of the unacceptable parts of something. Making something unacceptable, grants it the permission to be censored.
When we censor, we don’t have to address our lack of understanding. When we censor, we don’t have to acknowledge the unacceptable parts.
Activity
Being active throughout the day is important to me. Checking things off my to do list makes me feel productive, proud and accomplished.
When I want to feel sure of myself, I look for things to do. The thing I choose to do is often less important than the distraction that the activity gives me.