Understanding Equals Safety

From a very early age, I’ve been a ‘need to know’ kind of girl. By this I mean, I was moved to connect with people. My mother says by the time I was 3, I was asking to go ‘touch’ the neighbor. I realize this may sound odd and I don’t believe it had anything to do with just physically touching them; knowing what I know about myself, touching someone was my way of energetically connecting. I have no way of explaining it other than to say, it was something I was compelled to do. I probably don’t have to tell you that whenever I asked to go, I was met with questions. What’s worse is I never had a satisfactory answer which means just saying ‘because I want too’ didn’t get me what I wanted. Because humans are nature and nature adapts, my answers changed and so did the results. Some may say I was being manipulative and really??? At 3? I guess if we want to be judgmental; however, let’s be honest; I wasn’t being malicious … I was being misunderstood…. by both my mother as well as myself. And then again, I was in touch with called to me and simply acting on it. My challenge was being me in a world blinded by its humanity.

The way I see it, this is how ALL of us come into the world. I won’t say we ‘know’ ourselves all that well; yet, we do show up and make every attempt to express ourselves fully. Sometimes this goes well, other times not so much. Some of us are born into families that allow for more inspired behavior while others are indoctrinated with a fabricated belief system. No matter, each of us is exposed to a variety of belief systems; although, there isn’t one better than another, in my opinion, they simply contribute to our overall experience of life … as do the outcomes. The challenges we collectively face have more to do with a lack of understanding for ourselves and others rather than the ‘good or bad’ belief systems themselves. Judging things, people and circumstances is, without question, quite the norm for us and even more harmful.

Now I know we are encouraged to not let other people’s opinions affect us; yet, not one of us is made of Teflon. We are sensitive organisms; not unlike plants being able to sense all manner of threat. Judgments, although theoretical, are just that, having an effect on us no matter how good we think we are at deflecting them. Deflection is still a reaction and it’s within any reaction that we experience ourselves. How we choose to handle the moment is what generates our next move. This is why I say there is nothing wrong with anything that any of us are doing. Granted this is a broad statement given the scale on which our choices can be weighed; however, we always have the opportunity to reflect, assess and determine whether what we did worked or didn’t. If it didn’t work, then all there is for us to do is to do something differently the next time. (side note: I am fully aware of the heinous acts being perpetrated around the word and in no way do I believe any of them are good and right. At the same time, I have learned to value my sensitivities and abilities to create something positive, even if it’s only a feeling / thought.) In any case, every interaction influences our next move … just like nature.

I watch people spray herbicides, pesticides and insecticides nearly every day. We all know someone that’s taken an antibiotic or two. Each one of these acts is an attempt to control something smaller than us. Think about that for a moment; we live in fear of a microscopic organism ….. No matter, the idea is to kill off the unwanted, knowing good and well, our success is only temporary. The weeds and bugs may disappear for a while; yet, our yards, parks and gardens are teeming with them the following season. When it comes to bacteria, well, they’re now being labelled resistant and aggressive. Why is this? Because nature simply moves according to the information received. We’re not eliminating anything; we’re merely contributing to the end result.

As for my story in the beginning; I’m no different than anyone else. Besides our personalities, each of us has a life-force / essence that inspires us to experience life. It’s not thinking about the what-if’s, shoulds and buts …. it simply flows. Being human gives us the opportunity to embrace and partner with this energy; and when we understand this aspect of ourselves, we are better equipped to give this to others. Truth be told, it’s all perfect …. everything is perfectly imperfect. Yes, there are things about ourselves we might refer to as ‘flawed’, but that doesn’t make them bad or wrong. Truthfully, why would we judge nature because let’s be real, these vulnerabilities are a part of our nature … better yet, who are WE to judge nature. We are here because of nature; nature isn’t here because of us.

From my perspective, these vulnerabilities are opportunities for synergy which is where nature aligns and creates its next move. When we identify gaps within ourselves, we do what we can to close them up. Sometimes fixes last longer than others and no matter what you decide to do, you did what you knew to do in the moment. If you’re reading this thinking ‘what I did wasn’t the most effective choice’, bless it and rethink your next move. No matter what, just know you, me and everyone around us is a force to be reckoned with. There is an essence that carries each one of us through every moment, and even though we make decisions that make us a bit more vulnerable at times … there were simply opportunities to experience ourselves. And, the more we embrace that … I mean really come to terms with it…..understanding that according to the laws of nature there are only experiences, no mistakes … the safer we feel AND the more secure we feel, the stronger we are.

Alignment is key; within ourselves and the nature of our existence. How do we create alignment? Through feelings, thoughts and actions, being intentional with our choices and mindful of our goals. This is the gift of being human …. We may be the essence of nature but we also have the ability to work with this energy for the collective highest good (not control from fear although even if we do, there is something to gain from the experience). At this point, whatever we’ve done is behind us and cannot be changed; however, our understanding can transmute it into a powerful next step. Therefore, think of everything up until now as a foundation to stand on .. allow it to fertilize the parts of you that rose out of the darkness and empower this newer version of you. The way I see it, when we soften our judgments, the stronger and safer we become because we allow for grace and fluidity…..this is our truest nature. Don’t believe me …. take a look around …. plants and trees don’t judge one another on their color or shape; they simply grow and adapt according to the needs of all.