Home away from Home

This has been my home away from home, the perfect place to day dream, observe, and become one with nature. Sitting in this chair places all of my senses on high alert and opens my heart which blends with creative intuition. Being in this space creates a form of meditation that allows me to sit motionless indefinitely.

When I do leave my umbrella and chair, it is to wade through the shallow water of the shore to collect rocks. I love the contrast of the cold water hitting my sunburned legs and the sensations the grains of sand make under my feet. I once read of a blind man who could identify numerous types of sand as he walked upon the beach. There is no limitation to the expansive abilities of our senses.

I viewed, once again, a video by Brene Brown trying to memorize and absorb her wisdom. If you have not listened to her, please go to her website and enlighten yourself. She speaks on THE POWER OF VULNERABILITY using humor and intimacy with the skills of a storyteller. Brene Brown reflects that we all have our own story to tell and that too frequently we remain silent missing an opportunity to be a presence or a witness to others, keeping ourselves small and silenced.

I am always intrigued by the people surrounding me. I feel a strong desire to connect on some level whether it be verbally or simply through observation. I have an unwavering drive to understand the makings of the human being and the spirit within. This often times becomes challenging as all of us seem to have this fear of being discovered.

Perhaps in my efforts to study others, I diverted looking at myself, hiding under layer upon layer of masks and disguises. Shame and fear originating at a very young age convinced me that I was unacceptable. My highlighted imperfections were in sharp contrast to the expectations of any god. This unworthiness distanced me from what I was dedicated to seeking.

To survive, I had courage, determination, and a broad range of acceptance of others. I could easily understand the depths of plight, but denied myself personal joy, gratitude and heartfelt happiness. What I allowed and generously gave to others, I would deprive myself.

It has not always been a good thing to be able to see into the hearts of others. Seeing soul level can be both limiting and empowering. Opportunity to become authentic presents itself regularly, but courage is needed to side step the shame and the guilt, to risk being seen as our authentic self. When emotional debris is removed, our inner light shines more brightly, exposing the 'self' to the gifts we brought into this life to reach soul's purpose.

Brene Brown implies that our children are born wired for imperfection and we need to let them be seen as such and not perpetuate the illusion of perfection. Traveling through life with the attitude of "I am enough" would ease the journey, make the passage more kinder to the self as well as to all others.

If we celebrated our uniqueness, rather than focusing on differences, the sense of separateness could be eliminated. Our imperfection if viewed as part of our authenticity, might increase worthiness leading us to run the risk of vulnerability with healthier relations. Whole hearted connections would indeed circulate amongst us evolving into a community of tolerance. One can only dream of what then might follow...