Re:Your Awakening (long)

[Guest guest]

Hi guys, I was sent this in a E-mail and I wanted to share it with you

YOUR AWAKENING

A time comes in your life when you finally get it ... When in the midst of

all your fears and insanity you stop dead in your tracks and somewhere the

voice inside your head cries out - ENOUGH! Enough fighting and crying or

struggling to hold on. And, like a child quieting down after a blind tantrum,

your sobs begin to subside, you shudder once or twice, you blink back your

tears and through a mantle of wet lashes you begin to look at the world

through new eyes.

This is your awakening.

You realize that it's time to stop hoping and waiting for something to change

or for happiness, safety and security to come galloping over the next

horizon. You come to terms with the fact that he is not Prince Charming and

you are not Cinderella or your not Prince Charming and she is not Cinderella,

and that in the real world there aren't always fairy tale endings (or

beginnings for that matter) and that any guarantee of " happily ever after "

must begin with you and in the process a sense of serenity is

born of acceptance.

You awaken to the fact that you are not perfect and that not everyone will

always love, appreciate or approve of who or what you are ... and that's OK.

(They are entitled to their own views and opinions.)  And you learn the

importance of loving and championing yourself and in the process a sense of

new found confidence is born of self-approval.

You stop complaining and blaming other people for the things they did to you

(or didn't do for you) and you learn that the only thing you can really count

on is the unexpected. You learn that people don't always say what they mean

or mean what they say and that not everyone will always be there for you and

that it's not always about you.

So, you learn to stand on your own and to take care of yourself and in the

process a sense of safety & security is born of self-reliance.  You stop

judging and pointing fingers and you begin to accept people as they are and

to overlook their short-comings and human frailties and in the process a

sense of peace & contentment is born of forgiveness.  You realize that much

of the way you view yourself, and the world around you, is as a result of all

the messages and opinions that have been ingrained into your psyche.

And you begin to sift through all the crap you've been fed about how you

should behave, how you should look and how much you should weigh, what you

should wear and where you should shop and what you should drive, how and

where you should live and what you should do for a living, who you should

sleep with, who you should marry and what you should expect of a marriage,

the importance of having and raising children or what you owe your parents.

You learn to open up to new worlds and different points of view.  And you

begin reassessing and redefining who you are and what you really stand for.

You learn the difference between wanting and needing and you begin to discard

the doctrines and values you've outgrown, or should never have bought into to

begin with and in the process you learn to go with your instincts. You learn

that it is truly in giving that we receive.

And that there is power and glory in creating and contributing and you stop

maneuvering through life merely as a " consumer " looking for your next fix.

You learn that principles such as honesty and integrity are not the outdated

ideals of a bygone era but the mortar that holds together the foundation upon

which you must build a life.

You learn that you don't know everything; it's not your job to save the world

and that you can't teach a pig to sing.

You learn to distinguish between guilt and responsibility and the importance

of setting boundaries and learning to say NO.

You learn that the only cross to bear is the one you choose to carry and that

martyrs get burned at the stake.

Then you learn about love.  Romantic love and familial love. How to love, how

much to give in love, when to stop giving and when to walk away. You learn

not to project your needs or your feelings onto a relationship.

You learn that you will not be more beautiful, more intelligent, more lovable

or important because of the man or woman on your arm or the child that bears

your name.

You learn to look at relationships as they really are and not as you would

have them be.  You stop trying to control people, situations and outcomes.

You learn that just as people grow and change so it is with love ... and you

learn that you don't have the right to demand love on your terms ... just to

make you happy.

And, you learn that alone does not mean lonely ... And you look in the mirror

and come to terms with the fact that you will never be a perfect 10, and you

stop trying to compete with the image inside your head and agonizing over how

you " stack up. "

You also stop working so hard at putting your feelings aside, smoothing

things over and ignoring your needs.  You learn that feelings of entitlement

are perfectly OK ... and that it is your right to want things and to ask for

the things that you want ... and that sometimes it is necessary to make

demands.

You come to the realization that you deserve to be treated with love,

kindness, sensitivity and respect and you won't settle for less.  And, you

allow only the one who cherishes you to glorify you with his or her touch ...

and in the process you internalize the meaning of self-respect.

And you learn that your body really is your temple. And you begin to care for

it and treat it with respect. You begin eating a balanced diet, drinking more

water and taking more time to exercise. You learn that fatigue diminishes the

spirit and can create doubt and fear. So you take more time to rest.

And, just as food fuels the body, laughter fuels our soul.  So you take more

time to laugh and to play.

You learn, that for the most part, in life you get what you believe you

deserve ... and that much of life truly is a self-fulfilling prophecy. You

learn that anything worth achieving is worth working for and that wishing for

something to happen is different from working toward making it happen.

More importantly, you learn that in order to achieve success you need

direction, discipline and perseverance.

You also learn that no one can do it all alone and that it's OK to risk

asking for help.

You learn that the only thing you must truly fear is the great robber baron

of all time. FEAR itself.  You learn to step right into and through your

fears because you know that whatever happens you can handle it and to give in

to fear is to give away the right to live life on your terms.

And you learn to fight for your life and not to squander it living under a

cloud of impending doom.

You learn that life isn't always fair, you don't always get what you think

you deserve and that sometimes bad things happen to unsuspecting, good

people. On these occasions you learn not to personalize things. You learn

that God isn't punishing you or failing to answer your prayers. It's just

life happening.

And you learn to deal with evil in its most primal state -- the ego. You

learn that negative feelings such as anger, envy and resentment must be

understood and redirected or they will suffocate the life out of you and

poison the universe that surrounds you. You learn to admit when you are wrong

and to build bridges instead of walls.

You learn to be thankful and to take comfort in many of the simple things we

take for granted, things that millions of people upon the earth can only

dream about; a full refrigerator, clean running water, a soft warm bed, a

long hot shower.

Slowly, you begin to take responsibility for yourself by yourself and you

make yourself a promise to never betray yourself and to never ever settle for

less than your heart's desire.  And you hang a wind chime outside your window

so you can listen to the wind.  And you make it a point to keep smiling, to

keep trusting and to stay open to every wonderful possibility.

Finally, with courage in your heart and with God by your side you take a

stand, you take a deep breath and you begin to design the life you want to

live as best as you can.

-- unknown

Those who learn this early in life are the lucky ones, but unfortunately most

don't learn all this until mid-life or later. Some never do, that is heart

breaking. Its never to late to begin living and to Seize The Moment, to

appreciate the person we are and to love ourselves.

Sometimes its good to look at something good and say, " Yeah, that's my

perspective on life too. That's me! "

Share this with your friends, it could reaffirm their belief in themselves.

With Love,

Lara M. Akin (BMI 61)

Getting my weight down

to do the dance with Dr. Rutledge.

423/417/413

Waist 51/45