Empowerment

One of the very many things I like most about what I do – combining the stories of emerging showbiz talents (and some more experienced) with the fight against bullying – is hearing and learning about some of these people. What some of them have been through – bullying – and how they rise above it. They sing their wonderful talents to show the world that all their nightmares/tormenters have done is help bring them through – help make them who and what they are. Proving to other victims worldwide that they are certainly not alone and that they can be whatever they want – if they put their minds to it. No-one can stop you, not if you really want it.

A few days ago, while raking leaves, my cat loved attacking the rake. I laughed at the amount of joy that Mageara gained from this menial task I needed to finish. I enjoyed the task more because she did. Just as I began to pull in another pile of leaves and the cat jumped at the rake, I took delight in something else! I uncovered little white daisies. They were in full bloom, smiling up at me as if they had the secret to life. I laughed out loud at such a weird find in late fall. And then, of course, I took a picture! Several thoughts came to mind, which I want to share with you.

You know how you feel when someone rudely interrupts you? Awkward. Frustrated. Inferior. Angry. Maybe all of these emotions and more. I've been on both the interrupted and the interrupter sides of many conversations, and, honestly, I don't feel good about either position. Though I try not to ever cut anyone off, it happens...and I usually feel bad about it afterwards. I hate getting interrupted. It makes me feel disrespected and unimportant. I stand there wondering whether I should try to restate my point or just let go. Sometimes I forget what I was saying altogether.

I was given a rose a while back. I could not help but delight in the scent and the feel of silk as well as the deep color of the huge petals. There was such beauty in just that one rose, that I did not need a dozen. That one flower was created just for me for that moment. While others may have enjoyed its beauty before me and some will after, the fact is, in that moment, it was just for me. We are created to DO something... To touch someone...if only for just a moment.

What I mean is.... there are MANY things in life that we look at. We have looked at them so much, it becomes second nature to ignore them. For instance: The clouds... We know they are there most days so we do not take in the different shapes that could be talking to us. A dragon, an angel, a dog chasing a mouse. Yes, you read it correctly. A dog. Clouds don't care! Then you have the vast array of stars you may have glanced at a few weeks or months ago, but with all your business, you have been looking forward and not very often up. I looked up last night and found thousands and thousands of diamonds crying out for attention! I just stared in wonder at the beauty of them all. Big dipper, little dipper. Orion's belt. The North Star. We looked for them as kids. Have you looked at how big the moon is? With our naked eye, so many things are seen but not admired even though we may have admired them a lot.

Many of the thought leaders today talk about the story(s) we tell ourselves to get along, to survive, to feel better. As a writer, this resonates because I have always told stories and written scripts. I would like to invite you today to consider looking at the idea of what stories you tell yourself and why/what role these stories occupy in your life. Do they complement or contaminate your life – given the path you are on spiritually, is it possible that these stories are no longer necessary?

Have things in your life been a struggle? Maybe things have just been constrictive or you feel stuck. Maybe you are frustrated with a situation you just cannot seem to get past. Lately I have had butterflies on my mind. No, not the nervous butterflies in the tummy but the beautiful, flighty, colorful creatures that take to the sky and land on the wild flowers. They do not stay in one place long, but before those beautiful moments of flight, it was a caterpillar snug tight in it's cocoon. That is where it goes through metamorphosis. Changes. There are stages to it's growth. And then, when the time is right, the cocoon tears away to reveal the colorful wings that take flight.

This month has been interesting for my family as we're coming up on some major life shifts. The company for which my husband had worked for 7 years closed recently. Though he has not gone a day without a job due to the favor he's received over the past few months from the company who purchased the building and land, he is now facing a major job or even industry change. For our family this could mean relocating out of state. Additionally, we are faced with moving out of our home very quickly due to circumstances out of our control. Without knowing where my husband will obtain a new position, we are unable to decide where to move or to begin even looking. The strange thing is I don't feel upset or stressed about the unknown, and the reason for my peace is that I invited change to come into my life.

Well, about a week ago, I got out of the car and noticed a butterfly on the ground. He was pretty damaged. An inch of one wing was missing. The rest of him was beautiful - a mix of colors; orange, yellow, brown and blue. He was broken, but he was still beautiful. I took a picture of him as I thought of how God had created this beautiful creature and how he could still be so lovely in his brokenness.

In my journey with words and language, I have recently stumbled upon another concept – that of Representation. I have been hearing friends use the phrase “I must stand up for myself”, have even used it myself occasionally. I have noticed in recent days that it rang off for me, something was amiss. Then it occurred to me, when we use that phrase, it speaks of victimhood on some level – somewhere in our lives we have given away the ability to speak on our own behalf.

Remember the balance beam in the school yard? Did you walk on it, balancing with your arms out from your side in the air? What about the lines on the sidewalk that you would walk like a tightrope? It was all about feeling the success of walking the line without falling off. We all have experienced that bliss of success. We also all know how it feels to "fall" and be in the topsy-turvey moments. How did you handle it when you fell off the balance beam? Did you criticize yourself? Did you swear to never get up on that thing again? Or, did you get right back up and take the risk of falling off again? Maybe a little of both? But here is the nitty-gritty: Each choice we make has a purpose. Life requires moments of imbalance in order to find the perfect balance.

I awakened the other morning and was confronted with an idea, a spark, a concept and really, an inner awakening. We, as humans, invest a large amount of time avoiding fear, requesting safety at every turn and ensuring we are stepping on sure footing. We make decisions not to go sky-diving or abseiling, horse-riding or snow-skiing because we have fears; fears of heights, fears of dark alleys, fears of creepy crawlies. My "awakening" came in the form of realizing that we sabotage ourselves every day, blindly allowing fear to invade and infiltrate our happiness and joy. You know why? Because we give permission for our ego to reign with the same fear we avoid in the physical world.

I can't tell you how many times I've changed my hair color, clothing styles, favorite bands and authors, or wall colors in my house (the painter (hubby) sighs...). Realistically, I am a highly cultivated experiencer of new and creative things (self-proclaimed...and that's the point to this article). I've discovered that change should come after deciding a thing or idea no longer is a part of who you are today and not because someone else or societal trends say so. Truth changes us but only if it is OUR truth and we genuinely experience it to serve who we are or want to be. When honored as a part of your sacred path, defining YOUR truth is the most significant change you will ever experience!

We are laid bare by the assumptions of who we are before we even have a chance to explain. Perhaps they are not even listening. Part of being present is releasing ourselves from the idea of how things are, or should be, because of the past or the cultures surrounding us; releasing assumptions of others and more importantly assumptions of ourselves.

Delight in each day! There is something that is going to happen today that should be celebrated. You woke up. Maybe you were able to witness the sunrise? Even if you did not see it, it happened and it was a magnificent painting of wonderment. Even if nothing out of the ordinary happens all day long there is going to be thousands of stars shining brightly down on you tonight asking you in a twinkle, "What will you do tomorrow?" "Which star will you wish on tonight"? "What will you be celebrating tomorrow?"