Dear All,
This week’s food for thought comes to you in a Poem, There several are different people credited to have written it, and each version I have read is slightly different and often much longer. So perhaps it is the thoughts by many people, just collected and put together by a writer wanting to share them all. Whatever it is very lovely and deep.
For many of you that are reading this, it may already have happened, for others you may not have yet quite got there but you will, you will because even reading this and being linked to a group such as ours, means you are nearly there.
Enjoy
A time comes in your life when you finally get it!… when, in the midst of all your fears and insanity, you stop dead in your tracks and somewhere the
voice inside your head cries out… ENOUGH! Enough fighting and crying and
blaming and struggling, enough lying to myself and others, enough carrying on in a false world of belief, and social expectants, of fake identity.
Then, like a child quieting down after a temper tantrum, you blink back your tears
and begin to look at the world through new eyes.
This is your awakening, and this is your new beginning.
You realize it’s time to stop hoping and waiting for something to change, or
for happiness, to magically appear over the next horizon.
You realize that in the real world there aren’t always fairy tale endings, but that if you want the happily after after then it
” must begin with you, within you, from you, and you only. Then from that acceptance a sense of serenity is born.
You awaken to the fact that you are not perfect and that not everyone will always love, appreciate or approve of who or what you are… and that’s OK, that is their business not yours.
They are entitled to their own views and opinions.
You learn the importance of loving and championing yourself… and in the
process a sense of new found confidence is born of self-approval.
You stop complaining and blaming other people for the things they did to you
– or didn’t do for you – and you learn that the only thing you can really
count on is the unexpected.
You learn that people don’t always say what they mean or mean what they say
and that not everyone will always be there for you and that everything isn’t
always about you.
So, you learn to stand on your own and to take care of yourself… and in the
process a sense of safety and security is born of self-reliance.
You stop judging and pointing fingers and you begin to accept people as they
are and to overlook their shortcomings and human frailties… and in the
process a sense of peace and contentment is born of forgiveness.
You learn to open up to new worlds and different points of view. You begin
reassessing and redefining who you are and what you really stand for.
You learn the difference between wanting and needing and you begin to discard
the doctrines and values you’ve outgrown, or should never have bought into to
begin with.
You learn that there is power and glory in creating and contributing and you
stop maneuvering through life merely as a “consumer” looking for your next
fix.
You learn that principles such as honesty and integrity are not the outdated
ideals of a bygone era, but the mortar that holds together the foundation
upon which you must build a life.
You learn that you don’t know everything, it’s not your job to save the world
and that you can’t teach a pig to sing. You learn that the only cross to bear
is the one you choose to carry and that martyrs get burned at the stake.
Then you learn about love. You learn to look at relationships as they really
are and not as you would have them be. You learn that alone does not mean
lonely.
You stop trying to control people, situations and outcomes. You learn to
distinguish between guilt and responsibility and the importance of setting
boundaries and learning to say NO.
You also stop working so hard at putting your feelings aside, smoothing
things over and ignoring your needs.
You learn that your body really is your temple. You begin to care for it and
treat it with respect. You begin to eat a balanced diet, drink more water,
and take more time to exercise.
You learn that being tired fuels doubt, fear, and uncertainty and so you take
more time to rest. And, just as food fuels the body, laughter fuels our soul.
So you take more time to laugh and to play.
You learn that, for the most part, you get in life what you believe you
deserve, and that much of life truly is a self-fulfilling prophecy.
You learn that anything worth achieving is worth working for and that wishing
for something to happen is different than working toward making it happen.
More importantly, you learn that in order to achieve success you need
direction, discipline and perseverance. You also learn that no one can do it
all alone, and that it’s OK to risk asking for help.
You learn the only thing you must truly fear is fear itself. You learn to
step right into and through your fears because you know that whatever happens
you can handle it and to give in to fear is to give away the right to live
life on your own terms.
You learn to fight for your life and not to squander it living under a cloud
of impending doom.
You learn that life isn’t always fair, you don’t always get what you think
you deserve and that sometimes bad things happen to unsuspecting, good
people… and you learn not to always take it personally.
You learn that nobody’s punishing you and everything isn’t always somebody’s
fault. It’s just life happening. You learn to admit when you are wrong and to
build bridges instead of walls.
You learn that negative feelings such as anger, envy and resentment must be
understood and redirected or they will suffocate the life out of you and
poison the universe that surrounds you.
You learn to be thankful and to take comfort in many of the simple things we
take for granted, things that millions of people upon the earth can only
dream about: a full refrigerator, clean running water, a soft warm bed, a
long hot shower.
Then, you begin to take responsibility for yourself by yourself and you make
yourself a promise to never betray yourself and to never, ever settle for
less than your heart’s desire.
You make it a point to keep smiling, to keep trusting, and to stay open to
every wonderful possibility.
You hang a wind chime outside your window so you can listen to the wind.
Finally, with courage in your heart, you take a stand, you take a deep
breath, and you begin to design the life you want to live as best you can
