Posted by Cam W. on May 3, 2001, at 11:11:19
The following was forwarded here by dj:
------- Forwarded message follows -------
The Awakening...
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, or struggling to hold on.
And, like a child quieting down after a blind tantrum,
your sobs begin to subside, you shudder once or
twice, you blink back your tears and through a
mantle of wet lashes, you begin to look at the world
through new eyes.This is your awakening...
You realize that it's time to stop hoping and waiting
for something to change, or for happiness, safety
and security to come galloping over the next horizon.
You come to terms with the fact that he is not Prince
Charming and you are not Cinderella and that in the
real world, there aren't always fairy tale endings (or
beginnings for that matter) and that any guarantee
of "happily ever after" must begin with you and in the
process, a sense of serenity is born of acceptance.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.
(They are entitled to their own views and opinions.)
And 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 it's not 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 & 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 realize that much of the way you view yourself
and the world around you, is a result of all the
messages and opinions that have been ingrained
into your psyche. You begin to sift through all the
junk you've been fed about how you should behave,
how you should look and how much you should
weigh, what you should wear and where you should
shop and what you should drive, how and where you
should live and what you should do for a living, who
you should marry and what you should expect of a
marriage, the importance of having and raising
children or what you owe your parents. 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 and in the process, you learn to
with your instincts.You learn that it is truly in giving that we receive
and 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.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 to distinguish between
guilt and responsibility and the importance of
setting boundaries and learning to say NO. 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. Romantic love and
familial love. How to love, how much to give in
love, when to stop giving and when to walk away.
You learn not to project your needs or your feelings
onto a relationship. You learn that you will not be
more beautiful, more intelligent, more lovable or
important because of the man on your arm or the
child that bears your name.You learn to look at relationships as they really are
to control people, situations and outcomes.You learn that just as people grow and change, so
it is with love; and you learn that you don't have the
right to demand love on your terms, just to make you happy.You learn that alone does not mean lonely. You
look in the mirror and come to terms with the fact
that you will never be a size 5 or a perfect 10 and
you stop trying to compete with the image inside
your head and agonizing over how you "stack up."You also stop working so hard at putting your
feelings aside, smoothing things over and ignoring
your needs. You learn that feelings of entitlement
are perfectly OK and that it is your right, to want
things and to ask for the things that you want and
that sometimes it is necessary to make demands.You come to the realization that you deserve to be
treated with love, kindness, sensitivity and respect
and you won't settle for less. You allow only the
hands of a lover who cherishes you, to glorify you
with his touch and in the process, you internalize
the meaning of self-respect.And you learn that your body really is your temple.
And you begin to care for it and treat it with respect.
You begin eating a balanced diet, drinking more
water and taking more time to exercise. You learn
that fatigue diminishes the spirit and can create
doubt and fear. So you take more time to rest. 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 in life, you get 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 from 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 that the only thing you must truly fear is the
great robber baron of all time; 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 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. On
these occasions, you learn not to personalize things.
You learn that God isn't punishing you or failing to
answer your prayers; it's just life happening.You learn to deal with evil in its most primal state;
the ego. 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 admit when you are wrong and to build
bridges instead of walls.
poster:Cam W.
thread:5844
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/social/20010417/msgs/5844.html