the awakening.

take a minute
 read it all
 and let it consume you.

author unknown

"a time comes in your life when you finally get…

when, in the midst of all your fears and insanity,

you stop dead in your tracks and somewhere 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’s 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, appreciate or

approve of who or what you are… and that’s okay.

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’t do for you – and

you learn that the only thing you can really count on is the unexpected.

you 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

everything 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 accept people as they are and to overlook

their shortcomings and human frailties…

and in the process a sense of peace and

contentment is born of forgiveness.

you learn to open up to new worlds and

different points of view. you begin reassessing

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 outgrown, or should

never have bought into to begin with.

you learn that there is power and glory

in creating and contributing and you stop

maneuvering through life merely as a

“consumer” looking for your next fix.

you learn that principles such as honesty and

integrity are not the outdated ideals of a bygone era,

but the mortar that holds together the foundation

upon which you must build a life.

you learn that you don’t know everything,

it’s not your job to save the world and that

you can’t teach a pig to sing. you learn the only

cross to bear is the one you choose to carry

and that martyrs get burned at the stake.

then you learn about love. you learn to look at relationships

as they really are and not as you would have them 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 boundaries and learning to say NO.

you also stop working so hard at putting your

feelings aside, smoothing things over and ignoring your needs.

you learn that your body really is your temple.

you begin to care for it and treat it with respect.

you begin to eat a balanced diet, drink more water,

and take more time to exercise.

you learn that being tired fuels doubt, fear,

and uncertainty and so you take more time to rest.

and, just as food fuels the body, laughter fuels our soul.

so you take more time to laugh and to play.

you learn that, for the most part, you get in life

what you deserve, and that much of life truly

 is a self-fulfilling prophecy.

you learn that anything worth achieving is

worth working for and that wishing for something

 to happen is different than working toward making it happen.

more importantly, you learn that in order to achieve success

you need direction, discipline and perseverance.

you learn that no one can do it all alone,

and that it’s okay to risk asking for help.

you learn the only thing you must truly 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 in to fear is to give away the

right to live life on your own terms.

you learn to fight for your life and not to

squander it living under a cloud of impending doom.

you learn that life isn’t always fair, you don’t always

get what you think you deserve and that sometimes

bad things happen to unsuspecting, good people…

and you learn not to always take it personally.

you learn that nobody’s punishing you and

everything isn’t always somebody’s fault.

it’s just life happening. you learn to admit when

 you are wrong 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 suffocate 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 upon the earth can

only dream about: a full refrigerator, clean running water,

a soft warm bed, a long hot shower.

then, you begin to take responsibility for yourself

by yourself and you make yourself a promise to

never betray yourself and to never,

ever settle for less than your heart’s desire.

you make it a point to keep smiling,

to keep trusting, and to stay open to

every wonderful possibility.

you hang a wind chime outside your

window so you can listen to the wind.

finally, with courage in your heart,

you take a stand, you take a deep breath, and

begin to design the life you want to live as best as you can."

the more you read this

 the more it hits you.

 every time you read it

 one line seems more important

 than the last and so on.

 the more you read this 

 the more unselfish you become

 the more in love you are with

 the life you were given.

 cherish it

 and the people in it.