Bring on the light, the hope, the undying, relentless faith, the power of standing for something I hold sacred and pure. I will always look first for the good in anyone. I’ll forever believe in the power of love and solidarity, and the good that Iives in each of us. You might call me an idealist, which I’ll receive as a compliment, thank you. But I am not naive. For all you contrarians out there, thank you for motivating and inspiring me to move my position forward in a positive, peaceful way. I appreciate you because your opposition fuels my fire.
My first instinct is to look for the good in people. Everyone. I believe from the depths of my soul that every single one of us is good at our core. Some have felt compelled to bury it for one reason or another, or due to circumstances in their lives. Humans have strong survival instincts, and sometimes, that is what it takes to survive -- protecting the soft, open, vulnerable pieces with layers of tough, impenetrable doors shut tightly. I don't know their stories, their journey, the path they walked, the challenges they faced, but I do know that deep within, underneath the layers of protection, there is good in there, and I'm determined to see it. I will hold-out for it, longer than you think I should, waiting for it to show up, knowing that it will. Sometimes I’m right. Sometimes I’m wrong.
In younger years, that holding-out manifested in the form of codependency. My rock bottom, realization, desire to break-through the pattern and heal that broken piece was a big part of my journey, and that’s for another blog post. For now, suffice it to say the healing, learning, growing and breaking through was tough, very painful at times, and also turned out to be my greatest gift. The learning, growing and healing never end. They are a constant part of my journey, and I wouldn’t have it any other way. Along the way, I have gained knowledge, intuition, understanding, tools, resources, and best of all, people who support me.
Time has certainly proven to be the universal “mellower.” I used to dig my heels in, but time has mellowed that instinct, and me, in many ways. I look forward to the gifts and joys of continued mellowing in days and years to come. Still, I'll always be passionate and stand strong for the things that matter.