Letting go of the safety net

 

Our lives are always under construction,

but sometimes it may feel like a demolition crew...

has entered your safe little sanctuary...

and torn down your foundation...

without your permission.

Life is like that sometimes.

It can shake you to your core.

It can cause fear and confusion.

But trust the wisdom of these experiences.

Remember to be kind and gentle with yourself.

Be patient with the process of rebuilding.

 

*****

 

Sitting in the emptiness

 

It's been awhile since I have posted so I have some catching up to do. First of all, I am in process of selling my place and buying a new one. Seven years ago I sold my home and joined condo living. What a freeing and peaceful experience that's been. But now I'm ready to move into a home again.

 

It was an adjustment at first, learning to live in a condo. I eventually did and I grew to love it. Now I will have to adjust to having more space and more responsibility that comes with a home.

 

What I want to share are things I am learning through this process of change. Part of the change has been sorting through and letting go of STUFF I don't want to take with me.. (photos, my books, artwork, craft supplies...). The rest of my possessions have been in storage for over a month so my condo is pretty empty except for basic things (bed, couch, clothing...). Surprisingly, I like the feeling of less...the emptiness.

 

Life has a way of bringing about change when it's time for us to release and let go. It obviously been my time for releasing people in my life because the Universe did a major sweep through my world, leaving me with what feels like a half-empty life. Several meaningful friendships have fallen apart this over the past year. I have spent a lot of time in shock, denial, and hurt before I could even faintly begin to find any acceptance or peace about what occurred.

 

 So here I sit in my half-empty house with what feels like my half-empty life... It's not a comfortable place, but my intuition tells me to trust it is GOOD. The emptiness is gifting me with a TRUTH which is this: it is in the emptiness that I am beginning to get glimpses of something that I have always wanted...connection, simplicity, honesty, and authenticity. I feel the aloneness but not loneliness. All the things I have spent my life chasing, trying to fill the hole in me, isn't an option anymore. It hasn't worked and it never will. In the emptiness, I get a sense of what is real and meaningful.

 

FYI- I wrote this a few months ago. I'm settled in my new home and love it. Still sitting in the emptiness...trusting the process...

Believing in yourself

The man who thinks he can
and the man who thinks he can't
are both right. 

 Which one are you?” 

 
― Henry Ford

 

 ******

 

Reaching upward

 

“Walk with the dreamers, the believers, the courageous,

the cheerful, the planners, the doers,

the successful people with their heads in the clouds

and their feet on the ground. 

Let their spirit ignite a fire within you to leave this world

better than when you found it...”  

― Wilferd Peterson

 

Trusting the process

 

“Do not be afraid; our fate
Cannot be taken from us; it is a gift.” 

 
― Dante Alighieri

 

****

 

Having faith

 

“I have come to accept the feeling of not knowing where I am going.

And I have trained myself to love it.

Because it is only when we are suspended in mid-air with no landing in sight,

that we force our wings to unravel and alas begin our flight.

And as we fly, we still may not know where we are going to.

But the miracle is in the unfolding of the wings.

You may not know where you're going,

but you know that so long as you spread your wings,

the winds will carry you.” 

 
― C. JoyBell C.

 

*****

 

 

Accepting life as it is

 

“Be content with what you have;
rejoice in the way things are.
When you realize there is nothing lacking,
the whole world belongs to you.”
― Laozi

 

*****

Trusting a Higher Power

 

She saw all her lessons as flawless,

 

even when it took effort to stay upright.

 

*****



Healing our fears and insecurities

 

There is a huge difference between "owning your power" 

as opposed to "being in control".

When you know how powerful you really are,

you let go of your need to be in control.

Control is purely based on FEAR!

Ultimately, you give your power away when you give into fear,

when you try to micro-manage life...

instead of trusting your needs will be met.

When you're afraid, there's a good chance...

 you'll be trying to micro-manage other people's lives too.

It may give you a false sense of safety.

You may call it love, being helpful, extending kindness to others...

 but I will call it what it is; boundary crushing and disrespectful.

Interfering with someone's right to have their experiences,

trying to cripple them with your fears and insecurities,

 will destroy any chance of having a lasting, healthy relationship with them.

There is nothing powerful about giving into fear.

It is only when we face and heal our fear...
 that we own our true power.

*****

Practicing faith

 

Because of the way women are raised, to be caretakers and servers,

to put others needs first, most of us do not have enough self-esteem.

We have great fears of abandonment.

We fear loss and lack of security.

We were not raised to believe that we could take care of ourselves...

 

So how do we overcome fear...?

It is in learning  to trust the process of Life.

Life is here is to support us, to lead us and guide us if we will allow it to...

 

Louise L Hay

Letting go of control

 Little felt heart pins-easy to make

 

Faith 

offers...

peace...
 

optimism...
 

safety...
 

trust.

******

 

Being a dreamer

 

Throw your dreams into space like a kite,

 

and you do not know what it will bring back,

 

a new life, a new friend, a new love...”  

 

 

― Anaïs Nin

******

 

Keeping a positive outlook

Even in the most difficult times,

 

she felt illuminated with hope.

 

She had the kind of faith that...

 

even when things felt impossibly hard,

 

she knew she would rise above it.

 

*****

Living in the moment

“All negativity is caused by an accumulation

of psychological time and denial of the present.

Unease, anxiety, tension, stress, worry -

all forms of fear - are caused by too much future,

and not enough presence.

Guilt, regret, resentment, grievances, sadness,

bitterness, and all forms of non-forgiveness

are caused by too much past,

and not enough presence.”

 

Eckhart Tolle

 

******

Faith

 

“Faith is a place of mystery,

where we find the courage to believe in what we cannot see

and the strength to let go of our fear of uncertainty.”  

- Brene Brown

 

*****



Faith

 

“Faith is walking face-first and full-speed into the dark.

If we truly knew all the answers in advance as to the meaning of life

and the nature of God and the destiny of our souls,

our belief would not be a leap of faith

and it would not be a courageous act of humanity;

it would just be... a prudent insurance policy.”  

 

― Elizabeth Gilbert

 

******



Faith

 

Life doesn't have to be hard.

 

Let go of struggling to get your way.

 

Trust the plan...

 

******

 



Being restored

Faith allows the tired mind to rest,

 

the broken heart to heal,

 

and fear to be washed away.

 

There is nothing that can not be restored...

 

when faith is called upon.

 

*****



What I've learned

There are many ways God gets my attention. When I read this, I chuckled...
 

If I have learned nothing else...

I have learned that... 

God...
will hold me up,

sit me down,

push me forward,

pull me back,

turn me around,

 keep me in line,

move me along...

 

Iyanla Vanzant

****

“Your greatest adversary is also your greatest teacher. Like it or not, it is the job of certain people to bring out the worst in you. What they trigger is already in you. They are here to reveal the sore, tender wounded places in your heart and mind, and they are providing you with a wonderful and divine opportunity for healing.”

 

I. Vanzant

 

Quiet determination

 

Picture yourself as woman

 

who is as fierce as she is humble.

 

Through perseverance,

she achieves small things with

a wide heart.

 

****

 

“A balanced life has a rhythm...
 I'm learning that if I don't take the time
to tune in to my own more deliberate pace...
the speed of events around me setting a tempo...
leaves me feeling scattered and out of touch with myself...
A close relationship with myself requires slowness...
A thoughtful life is not rushed.”  

Katrina Kenison

*****