Sunglasses

What can I say? It’s a sunglasses kind of day. Tears were shed. More tears were shed. Meanness always hurts, but sometimes it hurts so much you have to wear sunglasses to get though your day. I was forced to check myself, my thoughts and heart. I had to dig deep and remind myself that mean people are usually that way for a reason. I tried to discipline myself to put myself in their shoes, to have grace, to know there are always two sides to every story, to practice the character I value, and ultimately focus on TRUTH. Holocaust survivor Viktor Frankl wisely stated that when we can’t change a situation, we are forced to change ourselves. 

Part of changing myself involved focusing on TRUTH in order to move forward. Sometimes this is easy-peezy, and other times it's sheer discipline. These are the things I focus on during the harder days: 1) Brene Brown: “Vulnerability is the birthplace of love, belonging, joy, courage, empathy, and creativity. It is the source of hope, empathy, accountability, and authenticity. If we want greater clarity in our purpose or deeper and more meaningful spiritual lives, vulnerability is the path.” 2) Viktor Frankl: “Everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms—to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way.” 3) Richard Rohr: “If you do not transform your pain, you will surely transmit it."  So, today, I put one foot in front of the other, choose JOY and TRUTH and wear sunglasses in the meantime.

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