Thought Therapy

The weather is relatively cool today - mid 70's with a slight breeze. I've openned the windows of my house to let the fresh air blow through and rush out all the funny smells and vibes that tend to collect in my home during the winter months and the hot days when the AC is constantly running.

Last night my daughter gave me India.Arie's newest CD as a gift "Testimony: Vol 2" if you haven't purchased this masterpiece you definitely NEED to get it.

A cool summer's breeze is blowing through my bedroom windows, India is playing and I am compelled to share an experience I had today. One of my co-workers is having a particularly difficult time right now, they have 5 children, she's working part-time and her husband is out of work. They recently lost their home and are living with her brother who is letting her know by his words and actions that she and her family are imposing on him (forgetting that he once lived with her and her family while he got on his feet). She told me today that this downward spiral started about 5 years ago and it is her and her husband's own undoing. Long story short, they both have spent time in jail and they are both on probation at this time. She said, "I'm sure it was one of my secretaries who turned me in, I don't blame them, I was doing wrong, basically stealing from my company and needed to be caught. Going to jail for 27 months was the best thing that could have happened to me. During that time of being isolated from my family I came to understand that I caused my own imprisonment".

Many of us are in one sort of prison or another, maybe a relationship that has gone haywire, some kind of loss, a health issue that has you bound, a financial mess, etc. I am a firm believer in looking inward BEFORE you look to outside sources for the cause of your current circumstance and talking with my co-worker today confirmed this belief. Even with all of this going on, she feels that she's in a process that they must go through to learn a higher lesson, so she's being patient with the process and trusting both God and her own heart. We don't cause every situation that takes place in our lives, sometimes things just hit us out of nowhere (i.e. a cancer diagnosis, a illness upon one of our children, death of a parent, death of a friend, etc) so we should never beat ourselves up when somehting happens.

We all have times where we feel isolated, emotionally or physically (can't talk to anybody about what's going on, friends are nowhere to be found, etc). If that's your situation, right now, don't sit and wait for someone to come along and heal you or rescue you - that's the worse thing you can do. The best thing you can do for your mind and spirit is to start your own process of growth and/or healing by looking within, being honest about what you may or may not have done to bring about your situation. IF you find that some energy within you needs to be released (anger, guilt, sadness, shame, etc.) release it immediately. How do you release: channel that energy into something (i.e. writing yourself a letter and forgiving yourself, writing a letter to someone who you feel has harmed you in some way and forgiving them, yoga, aerobics, swimming, running, biking, dancing, singing - whatever activity you do that you truly enjoy). AVOID destructive habits like smoking, drinking and/or sex because channeling your negative energy into those activities leads to dependance on those things to make you "feel better". This is not about "feeling better - or forgetting your problems for a little while" this is about unlocking things within - bringing them out into your own plain eyesight and dealing with them so they don't continue to 'deal' with YOU.

Continue to Grow. Continue to GLOW.

Peace Lovies!!