but can’t because we are mere Shadows of ourselves. Aren’t we all, at times?
When we yearn to touch
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Tag Archives: awareness
In the forest …
Perhaps we need to be reminded of this today
Compassion
my sketch “after” Da Vinci
Are you complete?
We are all made up of jigsaw pieces – varied shapes of experiences that combine to make us a complete puzzle.
You don’t think you are complete? You think you are missing pieces?
Do you toss a few of your least wonky samples on the viewing table, the ones you’ve buffed and coated in high gloss? The pieces you think are less vulnerable to share?
Perhaps today you are a one-hundred piece puzzle. Or a five-hundred. With additional experiences comes greater awareness. Tomorrow, you might be made of a thousand pieces that all interlock perfectly. Tomorrow, maybe ten-thousand.
At this very second, this moment in time, you are perfect.
Celebrate who you are.
The Shape of our Being
Growing from a child into a young adult are powerful years. The “big” events and experiences during that period stick with us.
I would like to share something with you because it’s important to me.
In a previous post, I mentioned how each of us has our own prevailing awareness — experiences that have formed our humanness.
In my case, the Carolyn Being.
At eight-years old I was told I was going to hell for not being Baptist. I tried to stand up for myself. It was hard. I was outnumbered. In tears, I ran home to my mother.
What I learned: It hurts to be judged by your faith.
A popular football player in high school pushed and mocked a blind student. “What are you doing?!” I shouted. For a second, I wondered who’s said that. I was not the confrontational kind and my words shocked me. They also felt good.
Later, that same year, a young girl with Down Syndrome climbed up my body like I was a grand oak tree, clinging to me with comfort while others gaped, appalled. I smiled. I loved her strong and loving arms.
What I learned: Never poke fun at the physically or mentally challenged.
A friend in early 1970’s “confessed” he was gay. I said, “But you’ll still drive us around, right?”
What I learned: A good friend is a good friend no matter what their sexual preference.
In the late seventies, a friend used the “n” word in front of me. I told him to never do it again.
What I learned: Friends may not share your values.
I learned about poverty while student teaching in a low income center across from the housing projects.
What I learned: We are not born in equal environments.
I witnessed a “clean cut” UT student, rip the metal trim off of the side of an old car that wasn’t his. I confronted him while my friend found the bar’s bouncer.
What I learned: It’s disrespectful to destroy another’s property.
After many more experiences were added to my Prevailing Awareness, I decided to enter the field of Special Ed then changed my major to Child Development.
So, I taught bias-free education to my teachers and at local and state conferences. This theme carries over into my novels.
From my experiences, I learned to stand up for those who are picked on, faced with injustices, scrutinized and criticized for being “different.” I learned to stand up to the oppressors who try to crush another’s dignity in order to feel temporarily (and falsely) empowered.
That’s how I roll.
How about you? Do you have a particular experience/experiences that molded the shape of your BEING?
Second Thoughts?
Do you have Second Thoughts?
Of course you do. So do I. Hopefully, your second thoughts aren’t laden with guilt.
Guilt serves no purpose.
So, what do we do?
We add the regret (not guilt) to our long list of experiences and move forward.
I took a course not long ago on self-esteem. It wasn’t only about learning how to empower ourselves, but how we can look at people and circumstances in a different light.
I learned:
Each and every experience we’ve ever encountered is imprinted in our “prevailing awareness.” With that stored information, we did exactly what we were “supposed” to do at that moment. (Hard concept, I know)
So each time we experience something, our bucket of awareness becomes fuller.
We can’t go back. None of us. We grow instead.
So, the only reason to dig up a “second thought,” is to learn from it.
Let’s concentrate on the bounty of our experiences and remember how they’ve helped us sprout into a higher level of awareness.
(Good daily prompt to help me remember this!)
Disclosure: I have second thoughts on every sentence I write. 🙂
Carolyn Dennis-Willingham 