by Jenn on January 23, 2012
One day I was flipping channels, and I came across a “behind the scenes” show of the Oprah Show. Oprah was discussing the fact that she expects people to “Take Responsibility For The Energy You Bring Into This Space”.
Although the quote stuck with me, it took me some time to really agree with it.
Truth is, I take responsibility. I take responsibility for my decisions. My actions. My feelings. I take responsibility that my actions effect others. My actions effect how people around me feel, and act towards me (and possibly others). I take responsibility for my part of things. But it ends there.
I don’t take responsibility for others actions. I only take responsibility for others feelings to a certain degree. If I were to, I’d be burdened with the pain of the world. I can take responsibility for those actions, decisions, and things I’ve made & done.
I often times make it my responsibility to help and support those around me. It’s my personal conviction to support those who support me (as well as my children). But I also must accept that at some point there is a limit. I take responsibility for the energy that I bring into this world, but I can’t control the world.
By lifting the burden of those things I can’t control, I find my load much lighter, and I put myself in a better position to help myself, and those around me with things that can be controlled.
by Jenn on January 20, 2012
Sometimes when things begin to feel overwhelming, difficult, or complicated, the best thing to do is just STOP.
And that is exactly how 2011 ended. Our family just stopped. I don’t mean we stopped being a family, or we stopped doing things we needed to, but we stopped rushing forward. We stopped making things complicated. We slowed down enough to make a true evaluation of what was going on around us, and what things needed our immediate attention, versus those things that seemed like they did, when in all actuality they did not require our attention at all.
When the winds hit our area, we were left without electricity, and given some quiet time to just STOP and think. Time to evaluate. Time to make decisions, adjustments, and necessary changes.
Our family was about to make a big move, and some big changes. When the windstorm happened, it caused us to re-evaluate. Not because we needed to but because we took the time to slow down. Funny thing is, we realized that sometimes the best way to move forward is to not move at all. Sometimes listening to silence can give you more insight than any words.
2011 was a rough year. At times it was easy to focus on the challenges, but in the end we decided to focus on the fact we made it through the challenges. My Grandmother nearly lost her life, then nearly lost her arm, but is here today with nothing but a small scar to show for it. Much like my Grandmother survived one of the most eventful cat bites ever, we survived everything we encountered.
Now that we are on the flip side (welcome 2012!) we are focused on stopping, slowing down, and taking the time to notice the small things.
