Women's Life Link Be Well, Be Happy, Be YOU!
Though you may not be a regular JS viewer, you likely know what goes on in just one episode. Guests are outspoken, immodest, and ooze drama like your sister-in-law’s cousin thrice removed, who has been in the women’s penitentiary for a year. I’ve found myself watching these ladies with adept curiosity. I wonder why are they so happy about sharing their faults and, well…disgusting habits on an international stage. It must be money, I think to myself. But, really? Would you do that for cash? I wouldn’t. And, that’s precisely why they are stealing from us.
They are women of a strength that so many of us don’t have. They are happy in their own skin, where we are fearful and prideful that even our own mothers will find out our flaws. This kind of fear paralyzes and keeps us from receiving abundance from the universe. We are not meant to be perfect or flawless or unwilling to share who we really are with the world. We are supposed to embrace who we are. I’m not saying you have to share every detail of yourselves with the six-o’clock news, but I know you can do better…I can do better.
Just one experience, especially a hard one, a disgusting one, a dramatic encounter we tend to hide, can change someones life. It would let her know that she is not alone. She might find refuge and an unexpected solution to her problem from your story. At the very least, she will learn to appreciate the calm, uneventful life she lives.
I Was A Bad Girl
I’m going to start right here, right now, by sharing something about myself that isn’t very beautiful, creative, or happy. When I was a teenager, I was a chronic shoplifter. I couldn’t stop myself. I stole everything from makeup to clothing. The fact is: I should have been put in the juvenile detention center, but instead, I never got caught. However, one of my friends did. She got arrested, drug away in a squad car, and processed into the community of kiddie-criminals. I was terrified. Fortunately, I learned my lesson from watching her go through what was rightfully my lot in life. Shoplifting became a distant friend of my past. Though this story isn’t Jerry Springer worthy, it is a part of who I was, who I am today. And it is an account that I’ve shared with teens to make a point of how this behavior leads to worse things.
For example:
During that time frame when I shoved lipsticks in my pockets, a friend of a friend asked me to join him and several others in a break in of a hardware store. I knew it was wrong, but I was thrilled about the adventure aspect of it and the mere thought of getting away with something bigger. So, I agreed and followed the pack to the store. Whereas the petty thievery was misdemeanor activity, this would be a felony if I got caught. Thank heavens, I didn’t. The fear I felt while wandering around that dark hardware store in the middle of the night was enough to thwart any further criminal behavior. It could have been bad, though. Now, I won’t steal anything. Not even a magazine accidentally left in the cart at the grocery. Rehabilitated by my own fear and the tragic incarceration of a friend.
Now, it’s your turn…
Fess up, ladies…
Someone needs to read what happened to you…
Be Beautiful-Be Creative-Be Happy…by being all of who you are!
This may be the best article you have ever written. It is about what we as counselors/christians/spiritualists try to be, transparent. But being transparent brings both the liberty and fear of vulnerability. Thank you so much for writing this article during a week where I was shunned for admitting, no declaring, who I really am. It’s awesome!
Thank you, Elisabeth. Being transparent is not easy for anyone, let alone for those of us who are dedicated to helping others. I’m going to really try harder to share more about my past and some of the hard stuff.