“When we protect ourselves so we won’t feel pain, that protection becomes like armor, like armor that imprisons the softness of the heart.” ~Pema Chödrön
My instinct is always to build up walls around me to try to prevent me from being hurt, but those walls inevitably keep out as much (or more) goodness than pain. Learning to let the softness of our hearts live open and exposed is one of life’s greatest challenges!
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“New beginning is intrinsically disorienting and anguishing; it builds on the wreckage of what has been outgrown but not yet relinquished.” ~Cynthia Bourgeault
I’m in the process of preparing for multiple new beginnings in my life (whose form is not yet fully defined), and I’m proactively preparing for that by actively clearing out as much of the old stuff that I’ve outgrown to make room for an easier transition into what’s coming.
If you are facing a new beginning in your life, what that you have outgrown might you benefit from relinquishing in order to make room for that beginning?
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“Maybe we simply need now and then to look up at the silent stars and lose ourselves to be set free.” ~Br. David Steindl-Rast
When I’m feeling overwhelmed and stuck in life’s problems, there’s nothing like re-connecting with what’s greater than me to help me step outside my worries, see things in a new way, and thereby be set free.
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“Joy is our birthright. Each and every one of us, especially those of us who have been conditioned to feel unworthy of it.” ~Rachel Ricketts
Joy is not something you need to earn to be worthy of experiencing. Joy is your birthright and is available to you when you let yourself be open to it.
What is bringing you joy in your life right now? How can you stay more open to experiencing that joy?
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“Perhaps the secret of living well is not in having all the answers but in pursuing unanswerable questions in good company.” ~Rachel Naomi Remen
Life’s broken places bring us face to face with all kinds of unanswerable questions. We may never know the answers to those questions, but sometimes the gold is found more in the exploring of the questions with like-minded souls than in actually having answers.
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