BREAKING PATTERNS

“If I contradict myself, I contradict myself. I contain multitudes.”

~ Walt Whitman

We create patterns that others depend on, and then the last thing we ever imagined happens: we grow and change, and then to stay vital we must break the patterns we created.

There is no blame or fault in this. It is commonplace in nature. Watch the ocean and shore do their dance of buildup and crumble and you’ll see this happen daily.

We know we are close to this threshold when we hear someone say, “You’re not yourself,” or “That was out of character for you.” What is difficult at this juncture is to resist either complying with how others see us or withholding who we really are.

The challenge, which I don’t do well but stay committed to, is to say to those we love, “I am more than I have shown you and more than you are willing to see. Let’s work our love and know each other more fully.”

~ This is an awareness meditation. As you move through your interactions today, notice whether you are complying with how others see you or withholding who you are.

~ After each interaction, simply breathe slowly once or twice and return to the fullness of who you are.

The Book of Awakening

~ Mark Nepo