Since the weather has been nicer, I have started looking forward to daily walks. I enjoy seeing the animals and the new plants growing and changing. One thing I noticed though is how surprisingly dauntless animals are. A squirrel might be scared for the moment when we are walking towards it, but if we move a few feet the squirrel will return to where it was and continue on its way. We as humans treat fear very differently. We are afraid of things yet to come, of possibilities, we are afraid where there is no present danger. Technically this type of fear is classified as anxiety. We experience anxiety when we are afraid without a real danger being present. We experience anxiety about social isolation, about being ourselves, expressing who we are, about not fitting in.
We arm ourselves as humans. We put up shields, we protect ourselves. This protection comes in the form of selective admissions. We only share what is comfortable, we hide the rest. We do not share what is sensitive or if we do and we get a negative response we fly into defensive mode, we flee, or we fight. Part of me finds this part of humanity to be sad. Why do we work so hard to pretend we are something else? How much time is wasted pretending to be who someone else wanted you to be? If we took the time to get to know ourselves and to do the things that we love, to share that, I think the world would be a much better place. I have an odd obsession with entrepreneurs. I do not want to be an entrepreneur, I have no interest, but I love to see how they work and how their minds function. I love to watch people doing and talking about doing things they love. It lights them up and you can tell it fills their soul. I love this, I get so much joy from seeing other people who are living their truths who are being themselves in a culture that wants us to conform. I think it can be hard to buck trend and tradition. It can be hard to stand up to those around us, it can be hard to admit that we are trying something new and unconventional, but I think those are what make it worth it. When we do what we love, we are happier, joy-filled and we exude this to those around us. By doing what we love unapologetically we give people permission to do the same. I think it is about time to put down our shields and to instead take up the mantle of being ourselves.
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I look forward to this post each week, as a form of intentional gratitude, I hope you enjoy this as well. Please share what you are loving below in the comments. Taking My Time With FoodThis week I wanted to slow down with how I prepared food. I wanted to be more intentional with my time. I wanted to present my food in a way that was visually stunning, especially my cheese plate Friday, and honestly I think this weeks was great. I have noticed that by slowing down I am feeling more in tune with life and I am able to experience it rather than waiting for it to all fly by. This I noticed with food and I indulged, I took the time and I have to say it was worth it. Sleeping InI think I often forget how important sleep is and I have noticed lately that I am really enjoying the sleep and realize how integral it is to me being my best throughout the day. Long Phone ConversationI have to say I am a sucker for a good phone call. I like to process verbally and I love to talk. I do not feel texting is my forte and I would much prefer to talk on the phone. I found this weekend that I had a great phone conversation with my dad and when that happens it feels like not time passes at all. I love that, when you are so absorbed in what you are saying or what they are saying that the time seems to fly by. I will be forever indebted to technology for giving me the ability to chat with my loved ones no matter where they are or I am. Melissa & JoeyLately I have been wanting to watch a TV show that is low key. No drama, no stress, just fun and I have remembered this show and started watching it and I have to say, I am thoroughly enjoying the lighthearted fun of it. In plot it feels like a more modern and slightly different version of The Nanny and I am really enjoying it. PodcastsThis week I have remembered how much I enjoy listening to a podcast and I have started listening again regularly and I have to say I am loving the longer format. I am glad to be back listening to things I love.
What are you loving this week? Comment below to share what you are loving big or small. One of the things we did when growing up was celebrate May Day. My dad was a huge advocate, typically it involved filling a basket with either flowers or candy or both and then going to someone's door and ringing the doorbell only to run away and leave an anonymous basket of goodies at the door. This may sound weird and odd, but it was simply what we did. It was our way to show people we cared in a silly, fun way.
Sometimes as I look back on life I realize these are the moments that matter the most. The small silly traditions that tell other people you care and you love them. I know that I tend to trend towards the more serious. I consider all the angles and usually take the most responsible route, but in doing so I tend to forget about the fun, the joy of the moment and the indulgent and the daily fun. I hope that this May Day in whatever small way you can you remember the fun. You remember the indulgent and that you tell others in your life that you care. Happy May Day Y'all! I have been considering labeling recently. As a society, we like to label. Fitting people into concrete categories is "easier". I find labeling to be useful at times, but I also see how it is reductionist. We can use labels in a negative way and look at other people as stereotypes rather than seeing who they are. We hope if we can just figure out our personality type everything will make sense. This may seem harmless when we are labeling ourselves, but I do not think so. If our friend is similar to someone else we always assume they are like that other person, we are not seeing their unique identity and in a way we are limiting their possibility. I do not mean they are now less, I mean in our minds we do not see them for who they are but as a stand in for someone they are similar to. These labels may seem positive and self affirming. We may own these labels, but still they cut us short. I find we use labels as stand-ins for true knowing. We may own one part of our identity as a way to hide another. We may focus on our career as our defining feature and neglect or use it to cover our struggles in creating relationships. There is definite place for positive thinking, but I find when we are lying to ourselves or trying to hide from others it means we need to take a closer look and heal things we are struggling to accept, to find compassion for ourselves.
I think though even with the best intentions that we are not able to be kept in a box. I personally struggle with this quite a bit, am I an introvert or an extrovert? What enneagram number am I? I struggle so much I try to get my husband to choose a box for me, because none of them really feel like they fit. No box can fully encompass me, nor can a box fully encompass you. We are unique and knowing that we need to be careful with how we label and how we categorize the world. We need to be cognizant that it is a false proxy that does not actually say much. |
About MeI'm Sarah; a wife, traveler, foodie, and adventurer. Archives
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