A time comes into your life when you finally get it when, in the midst of all your fears and insanity, you stop dead in your tracks and some where the voice inside your head cries out ENOUGH! Enough fighting and crying and blaming and struggling to hold on.
Then like a child quieting down after a tantrum, you blink back your tears and begin to look at the world through new eyes,
This is your awakening
You realize it is time to stop hoping and waiting for something to change, or for happiness, safety and security to magically appear over the next horizon.
You realize that in the real world there aren't always fairy tale endings, 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 you, appreciate you or approve of who or what you are and that is OK. They are entitled to their own views and opinions.
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'tdo for you and you learn that the only things you can count on in the unexpected.
You also 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 thateverything isn't 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 and security is born of self-reliance.
You stop judging and pointing fingers and you begin to sccept people as they are and to over look their short comings and human frailities and in the process a sense of peace and contentment is born in the forgiveness.
You learn to open up to new worlds and different points of view.you begin reassesing 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 out-grown or should never have bought into to begin with.
You learn that principles such as honesty and integrity are not theoutdated ideals of a bygone era, but the mortar that holds together the foundation upon which you must build a life.
Then you lean about love. You learn to look at relationships as they really are and not as you would have them to be.
You learn that alone does not mean lonely.You stop trying to control people, situations, and outcomes.
You learn to distinguish between guilt and responsibility and the importance of setting boundries and learning to say NO!
You learn that your body really is your temple. You begin to care for it and treat it with respect. You learn that beingtired fruels doubt, fear and uncertainty; and so you take more time to rest and just as food fuels the bodym laughter fuels the soul, so you take more time to laugh and play.
You learn that, for the most part, you get in life what you believe you deserve, and that much of life is truely a self fulfilling prophecy. You learn that anything worth achieving is worth working far and that wishing for something to happen is different that working toward making it happen.
You also learn that no one can do it all alone and that it is OK to risk asking for help. You learn the only thing you must fear is 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 into fear is to give away the right to live life on your own terms.
You lean that life isn't always fair, you don't walways get what you think you deserver and sometimes bad things happen to unsuspecting, good people and you learn not to take it personally.
You learn that nobody'spunishing you and everthing is always someones fault.It is just life happening. You learn to admit when you are wronf and to build bridges instead of walls. You learn that negative feelings such as anger, envy, and resentment must be understood and redirected OR they will sufficate the life out of you and poison the universe that surrounds you.
You learn to be thankful and to take comfort in many of the simple things we take for granted, things that MILLIONS of people can only dream about; a full refridgerator, clean running water, a soft warm bed, a long hot shower. 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, you make your stand.....take a deep breath and design the life you want to live!!
To me, cooking is a pure expression of art: it involves all the senses of a craftsman taking the elements of earth, sea and fire and transforming them into a palette of flavours and textures. It is momentary and short lived, but the memories are everlasting. ~Raymond Blanc
..Dance