You would think that the people who claim to love and care about us would be our cheerleaders when we begin to really connect with the deepest part of our souls while at the same time taking an interest in the greater world around us. Sadly, that isn’t always the case. Sometimes those closest to us simply cannot gracefully accept our growth and change. Seeing us step out of the little box we’ve lived in threatens all their notions of who we are…especially when they are still living in a little box that looks very much like the one we used to inhabit.
Even so, one might hope that people would keep their opinions to themselves. But I suppose it’s human nature to seek confirmation from others that one’s concerns are valid. Perhaps they have convinced themselves that what they are doing is not really gossip. I’m sure they don’t consider themselves judgmental, even when quoting scriptures about “the narrow way” and “sound doctrine”. And maybe referring to people who share our political and environmental concerns as “idiots”, “hypocrites” and “socialists” isn’t intended to hurt our feelings. I hope not. I’d hate to think it is intentional.
In any case, I’ve wasted way too much emotional energy on all this and am ready to move on. That’s why I was so excited to read the following on These Days in French Life:
So get it off your chest. Write it, sing it, dance it, drum it, shout it, mail it. Tell them. People will disagree with your ideas, your way, your beliefs. Let them. Forget about it. Better yet – change your focus. Change how you’re going to perceive and see something (what other people think of me is none of my business). That is what this full Moon is all about. Then join forces with like minded people, have a party, be festive and merry and change the world.
All of these thoughts have been brewing in my head for quite awhile and I knew that at some point I’d end up blogging about it. I don’t often get terribly personal here. I have close friends and family to talk about these things with and I rather doubt my blog readers are interested in my navel gazing. Still, I have had conversations with numerous people recently who are dealing with similar issues so I’m sharing this in the hopes that it might be encouraging the way Riana’s post was for me. Rest assured, I won’t be making a habit of this. 😉
My daughter posted the following song on Facebook this morning and I thought some of the lyrics were appropriate for this blog post:
Why can’t I be more conventional?
People talk, people stare
So I try
But that’s not for me
And because humor is often a good way to deal with things, this is what David often refers to as “our theme song”:
Now that I’ve gotten all that off my chest, it’s time to “join forces with like minded people, have a party, be festive and merry and change the world”. Who’s with me?