“Life is a test. It is only a test. Had this been a real life you would have been instructed where to go and what to do.” ~unknown
true confession
I’ve not always been supportive
of people
trying new things
I’d tease
or point out the negatives
attempting to keep them in a box
because if they became somebody new
then I’d be challenged to change, too
ironic
because
as I change with intention
I watch the shoe
on the other foot
a tiny kick
from someone close
leaves a mark
rub some dirt on it
Life is a test. It is only a test.
rise above
while offering a hand
If you are not interpreting the world in terms of your own designs on it, then it will interpret you in its terms. ~Lee Thayer
A friend once told me that I am responsible for leading myself first.
Leading myself has taken some standing alone.
I had to let go of looking to others tell me who they think I would, could, or should be.
Life was easier that way…
but not nearly as satisfying.
Surround yourself with people who will not let you default on yourself, who will make it necessary to do what we have to do in order to pursue our cause in life. ~Lee Thayer
Thank you dear reader for keeping me in forward motion.
You seem to have tapped into a well of experience and knowledge today! Your comment with Robert about your son being a life learning opportunity resonated with me as well. As a soccer dad, when my son was an early teenager, I struggled at first to navigate his preference for a radio station on our way to or from practice. My own childhood verged on WWIII over my tastes in music. Newly bought 45s (who remembers them?) sometimes landed in the coal furnace... I decided to not re-enact my childhood with my son. Suspending my own judgment about his choices, I proposed that we take turns selecting a station. So I demonstrated some acceptance that his choices were not deal breakers. And he had a chance to listen to classic rock and classical music. Yeah, really. My tastes vary somewhat. Suspending judgment helped me be more accepting of my son. Respecting his tastes brought us closer together. Surprise!!
Hi Gail!
"I’d tease
or point out the negatives
attempting to keep them in a box
because if they became somebody new"
It was magical to read this this morning. I'm going to think about why that is...but this writing really hit me.
Especially the above passage.
What it makes me think about is transferring fear as if it were advice. And trying to exist in a space of caring and concern while nurturing growth.
Then I had a tinge of awareness that I may have used this trait to the disadvantage of others. And maybe I even seek out what you describe as lonely ...
Powerful and insightful for me Gail... wow!