Inner Journey

Liberation: Posing Nude, Shaving Your Head, and Skinny Dipping What makes a woman feel free? Is it dancing to her favorite tunes while no one is looking or driving down a country road at 75 MPH (that one might be more of a man thing)? Regardless of "what" makes us feel free, we need to at least try to break out of stale routines and inhibitions occasionally.

I have found that when stuck in a rut (a muddy ditch with monsters that grab you and don't let go) if I do anything different than I have the past fifty times, I get a new result.

Considering all that you can learn about yourself, the act of "looking within" should become second nature. I find it exciting, difficult, and even scary (sounds like a good thriller) to approach the part of your mind and emotions that often get the brunt of your choices.

Have you ever been in a place that just felt creepy; did you get goose bumps and swear that someone was watching you? Sometimes those feelings might have a valid source or they might just be your imagination. It's in this same way that we can concoct the most terrifying scenes in our minds concerning other life situations - again, our imagination. Fear actually brings in a serious influx of creativity - the scary kind.

Today's topic is one with which many have trouble - on a daily basis. It is making decisions and acting upon them. I, for one, am one of those who don't find making some decisions to be pleasant; therefore, I avoid them. When I say this, I don't mean your every day ones like which breakfast cereal to buy or what shoes should I wear today; no, the ones I speak of are much more life-changing and some can even be hazardous or painful.

Women, especially, experience these troubling emotions when they see the ones they love hurting or in trouble. Our natural instinct to nurture and protect can be overwhelming; we are left wondering why no one sees our undying effort to make things better - can't they just stop screwing up already? And, when we can't change things quickly enough, it puts us into a heightened sense of frustration; I believe this is called motherhood or PMS.

Today. I want to talk about dreams. Everyone has them, whether you remember them or not. Sometimes they are whimsical and fun; sometimes they are dark and frightening. Either way, the motion pictures we get to watch while we're asleep often can be trying to tell us something important about ourselves.

Have you ever wondered why you feel more alive when you are looking forward to something. It could be the family vacation, a long awaited reunion with an old friend, or something as simple as getting a facial. I've often found that a heightened level of anticipation brings a happiness that isn't found through any other source.

"The events in our lives happen in a sequence in time, but in their significance to ourselves, they find their own order...the continuous thread of revelation." -Eudora Welty

It dawned on me today that when we are not spiritually and emotionally sound, we can't be our best - the women that we are meant to be. You know, like when your allergies are acting up; you don't put your best foot forward because you're too busy blowing your nose and trying to breathe - nothing feels right. This is the equivalent of being emotionally stuck in second gear; you can't seem to get where you want to go at the speed you need to get there.

My mom died of cancer at the age of 52. That’s way too young! Why?? Through the years I have thought of her and asked God that question. Consequently, I now know why she went to an early grave. My dad was strong and authoritative, from the generation that taught him to be the head of the household and that the wife must submit to his every wish, while giving up her own desires and dreams.

How many of us have gazed into the mirror only to see ourselves at an earlier age, an age in which circumstances have left us in a drama of life that we were forever trying to forget; one that we thought we had buried, and yet time has brought forth the resurfacing of misdirected and scattered emotions – often those that have wounded and left us in a state of despair? Why is it we would choose to carry the burden of unpleasant memories rather than allowing them to be released with love and forgiveness, or at least understanding?

Have you ever had something happen that you just couldn't park by as coincidence? However, it can be difficult to determine the reason for events that either march up to you with full force begging for your attention, or those that are subtle and quiet seemingly unrelated to your life. How you take these moments in time is largely due to what you believe is possible and by what knowledge you have.

The proverbial box – how to fit into it; the mold of expectation – how to conform.   Truthfully, we spend way too much time being …

When people say "be true to yourself," what they are really saying is take the time to learn who you are and what you are passionate about. A large part of that discovery may be your creative self. Without engaging this unique part of your being, you may be cheating yourself out of a fulfilling portion of your life. You don't have to be an artist or musician to be creative. On the contrary, we all are creative or can be whether we have artistic talents or not. The key is in our passions. When you love to do something so much that you can't stop thinking about it, that's when the creativity flows freely.