Topic : Defining Your Authentic Self

Hi all, 

Just wanted to check-in and share some thoughts.  I have often said that we can chose how we react to the moment and the stuff that life throws at us - well right now I guess I made the choice to let stuff get to me - yep I have had atime over the last few days where things have gotten to me. 

The feelings I have been experiencing have left me wrung out and feeling inconsequential in the scheme of things that is this universe.  Intellectually I know I am still the person however I chose to let the emotional side of me rule for a while and some of the old tapes started to play.  I know however that I can control how long I let this episode last. 

I know I will either wake up tomorrow (or even "wake" later today) and give myself that physical (or mental) slap in the face and get over it and get on with it.   

I know nothing needs to stop me from achieiving great things but as I said to my wife last night "Right now the mountain of my life seems very steep and rocky.  Someone give me a helicopter to lift past this stage" - but even as I said those words I realised that it is a necessary part of the journey - the rocky parts of the road, the steep parts of the climb all serve to test our resolve in life - they test our stamina and even though they really suck when we encounter them - they all serve to make us better and stronger in the long run.  I - like everyone else - would often prefer to have it easier - but what the heck - if it makes me better and stronger then I guess I can live with that!!!! 

So even with the current down feelings I think I can see the next plateau stretching out past the next steep part of the journey that is my life. 

It's been my experience that having time with an individual who may have experienced us with ALL of our growing edges exposed, is very important in helping to re-build those relationships by making us, our intentions, and wishes clearer. 

I don't really know how close you live to your Mom or if you have really had an opportunity to allow her to see the new choices/changes you've made in you. I would strongly recommend patience in this relationship. It may take some time for her to 'accept' the new you; to fully recognize your work on you!  

Best Wishes, Brenda :-) 

Sorry, that the answer comes so much later. I just returned from the beach. 

1.) They called me!! I was stunned! 

2.) And, no, I haven't had the experience that these folks are liars. They seem quite trustworthy, in fact. 

NUF said. I think I 'get it'. Maybe I should just accept all of this as genuine.  

Thanks, Again! Brenda :-) 

So neat viewing ALL of those wonderful photos!!!! 

What an accomplishment!!!! 

I really LOVE this particular photo!  

I have always admired your tenacity, as well as your spirited approach to all you do. It sure gives me something to consider!!!! 

Thanks for sharing your incredible life experience!!! 

Sorry that this response comes so late. Ijust returned from the beach. 

Thanks Again for sharing,  Brenda :-) 

This morning I went to the mountains with my dog to walk. We found our usual trail and began the ascent. As my mind calmed and I really saw what was around me I found that somewhere along my trail I had again lost my vision. The sky was brilliant blue and the grasses and trees were a vibrant green. With the rain we have had recently the plants were more alive than usual for this time of year. It was then that I noticed the ground beneath my feet was not solid but made of dirt and pebbles and rocks and the things that fall from the surrounding life. I realized how much "life" there was to a mountain. It is not just a mountain but a collection or rocks and stones and pebbles and dirt and foliage. While they are something unto themselves they also make up the mountain so while the mountain is it's parts, the parts are also the mountain. I realized that somewhere along the way I had gone from a mountain, to a rock, to the smallest of pebbles in the winds of change and the talk and chatter of everyday life. As I walked I was able to gather together all the things that had eroded away from me and become once again a "whole" person, made of all my parts just like the mountain.  When I looked at the plants I realized they relied on the mountain for the soil and the mountain relied on their roots to keep its place. In the scrub oaks there were hundreds of new acorns. Each one representing a new life. As these new lives take root, their roots preserve the mountain where it grows. And so I found that there are also "acorns" in me that if I allow will take root and preserve the essence of who I am. These new possiblities and ideas motivate me to move on to see new things and live each day. As I began to descend from the mountain there is a point where the sounds of the highway below can be heard. That is when I took all the thoughts and meditations from my morning walk and found my way back to life once again. It is not the actual journey that matters, it is the discovery of self on the journey that has the greatest rewards.  

Om Mani Padme Hum...LS