maps
"there is no map.
you gotta write your own.
you gotta carve your own.
you gotta sweat, cry, grieve,
laugh, and love your own.
and when you're all done,
that's all that will have mattered."
terri st. cloud
Bone Sigh Arts
Life would have been so much easier if we had truly listened to our first grade teacher who repeatedly exclaimed, "Do not look at your neighbor's paper!" How many years have we been trying to duplicate the success of others, rather than creating our own? In the hopes of fitting in we have hidden our personal strengths and welcomed a variety of masks to hide behind.
When I span across the years stretching behind me, I cannot remember voices telling me to journey inward to discover the original gifts waiting to be brought into the world. There was pressure to conform, to not draw attention to one's self, and to model the behavior of others.
Life appeared to have been so much easier for others, we yearned for perfection that never arrived. When life brought challenge to shape us, we resented the difficulty and perceived our losses to be failures. There had not been coaches cheering individuality forward nor mentors chanting, "You are so worthy. You are valuable!"
At differing stages, we each receive a small nugget of hope, nudging us back inside of our lovely selves. The past repression has facilitated far too much damage, so in desperation, we find the courage to discover who we truly were meant to be.
When we embrace our true nature and live in connection with all there is, we are well equipped to move forward in our lives being the best artist, musician, gardener, official, or public speaker. All of these things are labels, and our courage is found in the underlying code of ethics we have chosen to follow, no matter what we choose to do.
We plague ourselves with the question, "What am I supposed to be or do?" The answer is first and foremost be aligned with the body, mind, and spirit, and then pursue whatever draws our attention or what we yearn to do. It is never easy, and our maps encounter detours, but if we stay true to our inner nature, our inner map will lead us to greener pastures.
When I span across the years stretching behind me, I cannot remember voices telling me to journey inward to discover the original gifts waiting to be brought into the world. There was pressure to conform, to not draw attention to one's self, and to model the behavior of others.
Life appeared to have been so much easier for others, we yearned for perfection that never arrived. When life brought challenge to shape us, we resented the difficulty and perceived our losses to be failures. There had not been coaches cheering individuality forward nor mentors chanting, "You are so worthy. You are valuable!"
At differing stages, we each receive a small nugget of hope, nudging us back inside of our lovely selves. The past repression has facilitated far too much damage, so in desperation, we find the courage to discover who we truly were meant to be.
When we embrace our true nature and live in connection with all there is, we are well equipped to move forward in our lives being the best artist, musician, gardener, official, or public speaker. All of these things are labels, and our courage is found in the underlying code of ethics we have chosen to follow, no matter what we choose to do.
We plague ourselves with the question, "What am I supposed to be or do?" The answer is first and foremost be aligned with the body, mind, and spirit, and then pursue whatever draws our attention or what we yearn to do. It is never easy, and our maps encounter detours, but if we stay true to our inner nature, our inner map will lead us to greener pastures.
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