Want It More Than You Fear It

Because there will always be one to fifty excuses to find.

Because your mind will rummage around and dig these up, presenting them to you with urgency.

Because you may forget, if only for a moment, that this new pile of worries are a gift from an anxious visitor who didn’t know exactly what to get you – so opted for this, and hoped you’d enjoy something to think about versus nothing.

Because you never liked stagnation anyway.

Because there will be days when your fear will masquerade as sensibility, never removing the mask to reveal its tiny, unsubstantial frame.

Because the voice of your deepest desires speaks in dulcet tones, quiet murmurs that could be drowned out by the cries of a doubtful side of you.

Because you will remember that acknowledging this concern always silences it, like a mother finally attending to a child.

Because you deserve to come alive, to set yourself ablaze with wonder, and never stop seeking.

Because there’s solid ground on the other side, no matter how many obstacles stand in the way.

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A Daily Gift

Bite-sized Wisdom: Corneille

Never hurts to get into this habit, especially when all people usually need is a little kindness:

“The manner of giving is worth more than the gift.”

– Pierre Corneille

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No Theatre No Problem

Bite-sized Wisdom: Wilder

On Gift Giving and Receiving

We do it everyday. Something less than great happens, we react. And perhaps we feel guilty, upset, sad for having thoughts that are not helpful to us.

We want happiness, wrapped up and ready to go. But that is a gift that is earned. One that you cannot beg or plead with another to give to you. They won’t have it because you’re already holding onto it. The hint is to notice that it is currently in your hands. And in the style of gift-giving, when someone gives you something, you accept the gift graciously, regardless of the fact that the size was wrong, it was not what you expected, or the gift is something you are pretty sure your friend would enjoy a whole lot more than you would.

Same rules apply for the emotional quality of our days. If we receive a package full of terrible one day, the instinct is to sulk, or complain, or harbor on the fact that “this wasn’t what I wanted.” But just think if you threw a tantrum every time someone tried to give you something. Chances are, they will be reluctant to try to give you another gift in the future. (And the little one that gives macaroni necklaces eventually becomes an expert gift-giver with time. Imagine squashing the homemade gift in front of the person who presented it to you.)

But if instead, you offer a simple thank you, it becomes possible to recognize your emotional reaction, without qualifying it as good, bad, or otherwise, and see the inherent gift within the somewhat haggard packaging. The beauty of vulnerability, the brilliance of despair: these are the springboards to knowing yourself better. Why deny yourself the thoughts and emotions that are entirely your own?

Here’s to learning to accept the emotional gifts that we would sometimes prefer to return. And to becoming a better gift-giver and receiver in the process.

Prefer Uncertainty, It’s the Only Certain Thing

Advertisements you will never read: Safety Nets On Sale This Week

Life doesn’t publicize the good stuff. Instead it keeps them stockpiled, hidden. Waiting for you to ask if there’s a little something behind the counter that could help you get along.

You won’t find them on the shelves when you scramble around in nervous need. They are the complimentary gift that accompanies a purchase of faith. Grab some and a pack of gum at the nearby all-night mart.

As you cliff dive from uncertain heights, remember that you’ve leaped before. Maybe just over puddles or curbs, but you’ve always found your footing. This time doesn’t have to be any different. Close your eyes and enjoy the fall.

Headlines you might never read: Individual Survives A Personal Crisis. But that doesn’t mean the story’s not worth telling. Or that the net does not exist after all.

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