What I Know Now — Part II
We as humans seem to exist in the notion that everything in life has to have a label — good/bad, big/small, short/tall, pretty/ugly. You get the idea…
According to the Merriam Webster dictionary the definition of the word label is as follows:
La·bel[‘lābəl]
NOUN
1. a small piece of paper, fabric, plastic, or similar material attached to an object and giving information about it:
2. a classifying phrase or name applied to a person or thing, especially one that is inaccurate or restrictive:
3. heraldry
a narrow horizontal strip, typically with three downward projections, that is superimposed on a coat of arms by an eldest son during the life of his father.
VERB
1. attach a label to (something):
2. assign to a category, especially inaccurately or restrictively:
As you can see, the definition itself uses words like “inaccurate” and “restrictive” in its description of the word! Labels hold positive and negative connotations and can evoke emotions in all of us if we let them. Good or bad emotions… right? Wrong! Again, we’ve even labeled our emotions!
Emotions are what we have the unique capability of feeling as human beings. And we can feel a menagerie of emotions throughout our life, year, month, week, day and even hour. Our emotions and feelings can be great tools if we learn to listen to what they are telling us by the sometimes subtle and sometimes not so subtle nudges we get from our intuition. You know… that gut feeling that we all have.
For many years I was completely out of touch with my own body-mind connection, and though I would feel certain things in my gut, I had no idea what they were trying to tell me. Trauma can do that to a person. Physical trauma, sexual trauma, emotional trauma, any and all trauma really messes with one’s ability to trust themselves to know what is best. Emotions are designed to be felt in our bodies.
How many of us have swallowed our emotions, ate or drank our emotions, or have buried our feelings so deep that we become ill or accident prone? Only by feeling the emotions can they be released, and our bodies free of that energy.
Learning new ways to survive, is like a baby learning to walk.
First you crawl, then you take baby steps, holding on to something, losing balance, falling and trying again. Then one day almost like magic you are off and running.
My journey feels just like that. Once I learned the things that were not working in my life, I began to slowly leave those things behind. Whether they were people, places, jobs, or situations, I knew life could be better. And only though a deep personal commitment to myself through meditation, yoga, breathwork and reiki was I able to begin to know and love myself. The light began to shine through. Just glimpses at first, then more and more brightly until one day I realized I was the light!
Though I sometimes may still put a label on something, it is more to describe a personal feeling emanating from me and not a judgement of anything. And labels are just that. They are personal reflections of each individual’s life experiences.
What can be labeled good by one, may be bad to another.
What I know now, is that life just is… and it is all what we make of it each and every hour of every day. We all have the ability and the wherewithal to be our own light. We just have to make the personal commitment to oneself to find the positive in all things and surround ourselves with love and joy!
When I sat down to write this article, the title came to me quickly, and after looking back I saw I used it for the first article I wrote for Held In The Heart back in June of 2019. I decided not to change it since this is my last regularly scheduled article. It has been a pleasure writing and sharing my heart with you all and I will continue to submit articles from time to time; however, I will no longer be on a committed schedule. Live, Love, Learn and Grow — that is my mantra.
And may you each find the light you are looking for in yourself.
Lorri
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(She/Her)
The gal behind Held In The Heart. The Community Journal is a space for those who feel deeply to express freely. We explore all sorts of things here, from the real & raw healing stories & creative writing, to the funny & fleeting moments of everyday human life. I warmly welcome you and invite you to explore with us!