Gentleness Towards Self=Enjoying Life Fully................ 8/20/16

    I'm awake.

    It's 2:05 in the morning.  Why am I alert?  I ran eight miles this evening.  I am ener-gized by the exertion and in a good mood, too.

     I have not posted a list of gratitudes in a long while.  Here they are:

1.  For the growing patience I have towards myself.  I am already patient with me.  Re-covery reveals the value of
being even more gentle towards ourselves.

      When we do not let worldly demands distract us from our interests and needs, we grow in the kindness and pa-tience we have towards our-selves.

"Condemning my imperfections has never enhanced my appreciation of life or helped me to love myself more."       Courage to Change, p. 19

     The benefits?   Our heart rate is calmer.   We smile more.  Slowing down our thoughts in circumstances where they normally race with fear, judgments or anxiety allows us to stay in the moment.

      This is being present.  It contributes to greater peace of mind and serenity.

2.  For discipline.

      I witness con-stant reminders, every week, from clients who suffer because their desire to take steps that would improve their lives is weak.  The results?  Their life is difficult, filled with chaos.  I do not do for others what they need to do for them-selves.

      To do otherwise is to enable.

      Using boundaries prevents us from being codependent.  We do not want to cosign for the liabilities of others.  Boundaries keep us sane.

      Rescuing peo-ple is not letting others experience the natural conse-quences of their unacceptable be-havior.  It is bail-ing them out when they live by inade-quate, immature, lazy, or false beliefs.

3.  For pushing my body with exercise.

      It's fun.  Invigorating.  When I run, I recall the joy I had as a young man, when I ran cross country and track.  I have run 42 miles (67.59 km) this week.

      Today, I ran one-way 3.5 miles in hilly country that surrounds Lake Chabot.  That is when I hit a hill that went up for .7 of a mile at a steep

incline, thirty degrees.  Then I backtracked, completing 8.4 miles (13.52 km) altogether.   The last 30 minutes was trav-eled in complete darkness.  I ran 38 hills in the process, according to my Fitbit device.

      Tonight, I stumbled upon six deer while running.Thank-fully, I bought a headband that has a light.  I was like a coal miner as I ran, my path lit before me, attracting plenty of moths.  I ate only a few while gasping for breath.

       Now, five hours later, I don't feel sore.

4.    I was honest with people I some-what know.  I learn-ed their true nature.  They corrected and gave advice I did not ask for.  Their com-ments where based on interpretations of what I said, what they read into what I said.  Their conclusions were not accurate.  I let them know that I need safety when relating with them.  That means being free of their judgments.

      It appears they have difficulty being transparent, authentic, when communicating.  I may be wrong, but that is what it looks like.  If we want depth in relationships, there is a need for being real.

      Regarding their response to me, I choose love.  I decided to separ-ate from these advice-giving individuals for awhile.  That's taking care of me.

5.  I am thankful for helpful values that guide me.  They prevent me from being externally referented.  For which I am grateful.

How About You? 
What are your three gratitudes for today?