Tag: Shame Resilience
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fear is (not) a liar
Fear is (not) a liarBy Lindsay L. O’ConnorI used to try to divorce myself from inconvenient feelingsthat seemed to:- stand in the way of my goals- threaten my connection with people I loved or depended on- make me uncomfortable.Those poor dears!They cowered in the dark, shoved down, covered up,sealed tight by shame, guilt, and anxiety.Do…
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feast: a promise full, filled.
feast: a promise full, filledby Lindsay L. O’ConnorYou put this hunger in my belly,then promised me a feast.Sometimes the hunger gnawsas though it might consume meand I wonder if I will ever be satisfied.Then, I have these moments when time slows downand suddenly I see the banquet table set before me.I hear You say,“Take. Eat.…
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unedited
What would you say if you stopped editing yourself? Not in a public forum, but just alone with your Self, and maybe even with God. Part of my deconstruction has been finding the safety to stop editing myself in what I share with God. I used to be so bound up in behaving correctly and…
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rooted
RootedLife is change and all change is loss.Even gain is loss of the empty spacethat the new thing now occupies.The emptiness may have been unpleasant, but it was also familiar,and for many of us, familiarity breeds securitydue to a sense of predictabilityand control.Loss—and therefore, change—breaks us wide openas we’re confronted with the realitythat we are…
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free play
Free PlayWhat would you do if you weren’t afraid? Those dear protectorsonly want to keep us safebut sometimes, they hem us in, behind and before, so our little world shrinkssmaller and smallerand we can’t see a way out anymore. Many times, what they want most in the world is to be heard, seen, acknowledged, validated.…
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before you go
before you go Stay with yourselfStay with this momentStay with this holy unfoldingStay with this goodness.When your wise body tells you “This is good,”Stay. When your chest is wide open,expanding the width of the whole world,so entwined with creationthat the very breeze feels likethe breath expanding your lungs—Stay.Linger on this holy ground. When you glimpse…
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for the women
for the womenby Lindsay L. O’Connor A social media post that went viralasked women what they would doif there were no men on the planetfor 24 hours.The answers would make you weep…“Go on walks at night.”“Dance around town at 3am without fearing for my life.”“Wear whatever I want.”“Leave my drink unattended at a bar.”“Get a…
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manifesto for the beloved
I am loved,apart from anything Ido or don’t do,think or don’t think,believe or don’t believe,feel or don’t feel.In this moment,I am held in Love, just as I am. My weakness opens me to:compassion,awareness,vulnerability,and growth.I am always becoming. My body is wise & good,carrying out the beauty myheart & mind want to act upon.She holds unmatched…
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when you begin to feel again
When life is overwhelming, our wise bodies sometimes take an overdue break and our obedient hearts and minds follow suit. Maybe it feels like fatigue or illness or depression or apathy. Everything just shuts down. It all felt like too much, and it was. You were never meant to carry so much alone. And then,…
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Anxiety Dance
Anxiety Dance I used to think anxiety was a moral failure, a personal flaw, an indication of a lack of faith. I thought if I tried hard enough and prayed often enough, I could send her away, her departure the reward for my spiritual growth. Then, do you know, the more I tried to get…