Grow Up

Listen, it’s okay to change your mind. Really. How can you expect to have the exact same point of view for your entire life? Does it even make any sense?

We grow up and maybe grow deeper. We learn, have an experience, listen to another side of the story, become less concerned with our self and more concerned with the whole. We survive cancer, the death of our best friend, a tragic car accident, the loss of our home, a flood, tornado or fire. We notice tenderness, we see resilience, we read a story and we pause to consider.

Throughout our life we grow most deeply by being mindful and considerate…when we reach back to the center…even if only for a moment because we know our potential for growth begins there.

After surviving cancer (twenty-five years today!) I’ve come to know that I am not invincible and that others who are diagnosed might be learning this for the first time. It’s made me more kind.

I used to believe that God really didn’t care for me and that I would never be good enough. Now I know that God is Love Itself, calling me to know that I am that also.

I used to think that more stuff was what I wanted. Now, too much stuff is a burden. I want less stuff.

I spent most of my life wanting to be fiercely independent. I still love the feeling. But I also know that it’s an illusion. What connects us to each other is powerful and real.

I realize that many people suffer, all over the world, in horrible ways. It makes me sad. It also motivates me to treat every person I encounter with as much love as I can…even when I am frustrated. It matters.

I realize that not everyone has had the advantages I have enjoyed as a white middle class American with a college education, no childhood trauma and no obvious mental or physical restrictions. I feel grateful and I’ve learned to treat others with more compassion.

So go ahead, change your mind. And give others the chance to change their minds, too.

Much Love
Paula