You are whole and other truths

In my life, in my work, there is a quote I keep close to my heart:

"As long as you're breathing, there is more right with you than wrong with you, no matter what is wrong with you." - Kabat-Zinn

What does this mean?  It means that divorce, childhood trauma, parenting an oppositional teen, chronic pain, job loss, panic attacks, depression - there is still more right with you than there is wrong.

No matter our history, our successes and failures, we are already whole.  And the courage to be whole, to look at what inside pains the most, to let it exist alongside what brings the greatest joy, that is moment of the greatest potential.

So often people try to hide the parts of themselves they are ashamed of.  They try to ignore their fear.  Stuff their sadness.  We want to be good.  We want to be happy.

And what does volumes of research over decades show?

You want to be happy?  Accept you won't always be happy.  It is impossible.  Want to stop feeling afraid?  Be willing to feel your fear, get into it, and see what its about.  Fear, shame, sadness, it only grows with neglect. 

Embracing who we are, being open to the good and the ugly in each of us, therein lies the wisdom that there is indeed, more right with us than there is wrong with us.

- Rebecca

Simplifying it all

There are many, many wonderful people who have published helpful works about pain, illness, depression, mindfulness, parenting, job loss, healing, and plain ol' just wanting to enjoy life.  From one of those works, here is a favorite quote of mine:

"As long as you are breathing, there is more right with you than wrong with you."

 - Jon Kabat-Zinn

It doesn't always feel this way.  Sometimes it feels like the exact opposite - that more things are wrong than right.  But take down to the fundamental meaning of life.  As long as you are breathing, ther eis more right with you than wrong with you.

So breathe.  And enjoy.

Be well,

Rebecca

Riding the waves of life

“You can't stop the waves, but you can learn to surf.”  ― Jon Kabat-Zinn

Job loss.  Chronic pain.  Death of spouse.  Illness.  Cancer.  Fibromyalgia.  Traffic jam when you are trying to get home.

So much of life is out of our control.  Life is going to go about its business whether we like it or not.  We have choices around how we want to live it.  This does not mean what is troubling us isn't important.  It is important.  This does not mean it cannot impact us.  Life often does impact us.

Sometimes it is a matter of how we want to view our circumstances.  Sometimes it is not so simple as changing our viewpoint and we need to go to a trusted friend, therapist, pastor, spouse.  Sometimes it takes a while before the sting of our situation goes away.  Sometimes quite a while.

Give yourself a moment to image what life will be like when you are past whatever is difficult.  Imagine it in the fullest detail.  Nothing lasts forever, not this bad day, not this difficult moment.

Be well,

Rebecca