There are some pretty extraordinary things going on in my life right now –  too new and abstract to put them into words at the moment (definitely someday).  I will say that experiencing these things firsthand has thrown what  I believed was possible into a tizzy.  It’s opened my world to infinite possibilities –  which is both wonderful and a bit scary at the same time. Throughout my life, I have tended to want to be in control. I want to know what’s around the corner and plan how things are going to go.  What I am realizing more and more is that in doing so  I am limiting the possibilities for my life.  I am controlling the known and not letting in the unknown.  So what if I just let go?  What if I surrender and just let things happen naturally? What if I get out of my own way? What if I stay open to the possibility?  =&0=& And the events that I have experienced recently have shown me that there is so much more out there than I ever thought was possible. That I ever could have imagined before.  So I will open my heart and soul and let go. Surrender. And wait with excited anticipation of the wonderfulness to unfold right before me.  Is there anything in your life that you are holding onto and desperately trying to control? Do you think it’s possible to take a deep breath and then let it go?  Are you willing to take a step back from your own life and allow things to flow naturally?  Can you stay open to the possibility?  Definitely something to think about.  🙂

I was watching Oprah last night, and she had Nadya Suleman as a guest. She had octuplets a couple of years ago and, as you might imagine, was feeling extremely overwhelmed and worried about how she was going to continue to care for her family. In this show, Oprah talked about how our society is addicted to judging others. Nadya has been put through the wringer in the press and judged very harshly by the public. And while her situation is extreme – we can all relate to her in some way. We have all had days when we just felt like we couldn’t do it anymore. We have all had moments where we were overwhelmed and stressed and burned out. If we take a moment to see how similar we are to someone we judge or dislike,  it will help us empathize more with them and their situation. It will help diffuse some of our own anger and create a space where love can replace it.  And doing this doesn’t mean that you agree with that person’s actions – you are simply acknowledging the humanness in their situation. You are acknowledging that we are all doing the best we can based on the knowledge and tools that we have available to us at that moment. I met some people yesterday who were very kind and supportive toward me. And yet they made some comments that weren’t kind and supportive toward someone else. After our conversation, I stepped back and thought about why they would make such a comment. And I realized it was because they were working with the knowledge and the tools that they currently had. They certainly weren’t bad people – they had good hearts and were simply doing the best they could. And while this doesn’t condone their comments, this did help diffuse my own anger and help me realize that we are all on our own path learning and growing at our own pace. We are all human – we all make plenty of mistakes along the way. Judging others only hurts ourselves.  Being able to empathize and put yourself in another person’s shoes will  open your heart and soul.  It will help you grow and be able to love even more fully. Think about someone you have recently judged.

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