“Blackmail is only possible if we believe we have something to hide. Worthless feelings arise when we believe, however briefly, that who we are is not enough.”
~~ Mark Nepo’s The Book of Awakening, page for January 5th titled, Show Your Hair
Here are some things I used to believe about myself that I wanted to hide:
- My height is not good enough. (In the United States, the average male is about 5 feet 9 inches tall. I am 5 feet 4 inches.)
- My hearing ability is not good enough. (My left ear is 80% deaf from a virus attack.)
- My gregariousness is not good enough. (One of my brothers used to say, “Harry, you’re too serious.”)
There’s more, but you get the idea.
These beliefs cause worthless feelings to arise in me if I think they are true.
And I now declare I no longer believe these things, because they aren’t true.
- My height IS good enough. I can see above the dashboard of my car. Also, I’m spared the pain of bumping my head in low doorways.
- My hearing ability IS good enough. I can hear well enough with hearing aids. But the real barriers to not hearing what someone is saying are beyond my control. Noisy restaurants. Everyone talking at once. Mumbling at low volume.
- My gregariousness IS good enough. My brain is always busy thinking of friendly, funny things to say in various situations. I’m a Situational Comedian!
Your photo’s are always inspirationally beautiful. I feel as if I am there in the same place you captured that moment in time. Thank you for sharing your gifts with the world, whether you post once a week or once every 2 years. It’s always a blessing!