So many of us have lived our lives placing unmerited value on the opinions of others while discrediting our personal truth and reality. Breaking the shackles of people-pleasing requires honest self-appraisal, a healthy dose of self-esteem, and an enormous commitment to self-realization.
“It is our resistance to things as they are that causes most of our unhappiness…..” CAC.ORG – Richard Rohr
Do we believe that the Colorado River forged the magnificent beauty of the Grand Canyon by sheer force and might? No, of course not. Over millions, perhaps billions of years, a trickle of water eroded the rocks it ran through consistently and persistently until we have today one of the great wonders of this earth. That flow of water followed the path of least resistance.
We could learn great lessons from nature if only we would stop the chatter of minds and busyness of this world long enough to fathom what was intended for us through the observations of an ecosystem created to teach us about life, death, and everything in between. It is not a coincidence that just beyond the tips of our noses an earth filled with intelligence awaits our discovery.
The revered Chinese mentor, Lao Tzu, encouraged in the writings of the Tao-Te-Ching that finding comfort and contentment in this world occurs when we accept what is and follow the path of least resistance.
For a society committed to social justice and moral righteousness, that exhortation can be difficult to follow. But perhaps, that is our lesson to learn from AA’s Serenity Prayer…“grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change.” Nearly everything in this world is beyond my ability to change it, especially other people and their attitudes and beliefs. The only thing I can change is me and my future. Think about it. We too can be rivers as mighty as the Colorado when applying persistence to ourselves.
I AM LARRY – worthy, unique, loved
lpb quest - the twilight dance 