As Children, We grow up believing much of what we are taught.
The first half of life, we as children absorb and live through many experiences which form our world. We as children, usually question everything wanting to understand how life on earth works. In this, we make the best decisions we can that will help us navigate and live in harmony and love. For the most part, we want to feel included, and part of the systems in which we find ourselves. We do almost anything to feel like we belong. There is a certain safety in that. We listen and often do what we are told. We accept the world around us, when it makes sense, and even when it does not.
As we grow a little older, we start to press up against our parents, our teachers, and community leaders to find out more about the question, “Who Am I”. Often we are confused, and our bodies change, and our world too. We lean toward our peers, and friends become important players in our lives. Many of the beliefs that we were raised with will help shape how we choose to interact with those around us. We often move towards or against. Sometimes when we choose the easier path, we ride the wave.
By the time we start our own families, beliefs start to become a powerful force in how we create. Young adults will eventually start to question all the things that come back to them from their outer world. To become empowered individuals, they will have to learn how to make their own decisions free from other people’s thoughts. Wise parents will teacher their kids to be independent thinkers, and to not take any beliefs too seriously, but rather to try on different hats, and to experience life to the fullest. But they will also have to help define boundaries and learn to respond rather than react. Maturity means becoming responsible and owning the choices we make.
Our children eventually leave, and we find ourselves as empty nesters. When we are fortunate to retire our jobs, we are sometimes given the opportunity to find our real life’s work. If we are even luckier, we rekindle our passions as follow that path. This is a wonderful time to re-question what we think and how we want to do things. If we are open enough with curiosity and wonder, we may even become more clear that reality is not what we once believed. We may understand that the moment in which we now live is rich and it is ours to travel.
As we age into our later years, we start to think about death. Our parents have left years ago. Our friends start to pass too. We grieve. We fear. And yet we know that our time in this life is shorter. At this point we can let go of everything that has ever stressed us. We know that we can’t take anything with us when we cross that bridge. There is a certain freedom awaiting us. And that possibility in the Unknown is Wide and Deep. We can either embrace the mystery, or resist. But we know that we are the authors of our own destiny.
At any of this moments in our lives, God gives us the opportunity to believe or not. We are always given the gift of questioning. Sometimes along the way, we take things so seriously. We get entangled into what is right, and what is wrong. We often throw away important relationships for the sake of what we are believing. It’s not a bad thing to let go or walk away. But if you want to be a Truthful Authentic Human Being, be willing to step into another person’s shoes, ask questions, open up to other possibilities you could never imagine. Invite new things in. When you judge others, notice that. See how your criticisms affect the situation you are in. Do they serve you or do they not? Be willing to lay down all the things you once thought were important to invite the Light of God back into your heart, even if it has been broken. Especially if it has been broken. There is something so sweet and powerful about being vulnerable in truth. So transformative and empowering.
What say you? Are you willing to surrender into the truth? Take an inventory and throw out the things that limit you from being in your heart?
Sharon Hartnett CST-D
www.craniosacraltherapistcolumbus.com
Servicing the Columbus, Ohio area: 703 509-1792
