BLUE SKY VINE

SOFTLY

I talked with someone the other day while I was in the midst of an uncomfortable situation that my mind would not let go of. I was not angry, exactly, but I was characterizing myself as someone not as kind or understanding as I wanted to be. The person suggested that I approach ’myself’ SOFTLY, as though I were talking to a child who had spilled her milk. There was no need for a scolding or a reprimand for such an easy mistake.  

I immediately saw myself as that little girl who had spilled her milk (quite by accident) and with the SOFT words coming my way, I immediately relaxed and felt the ‘accident’ as just that . . .an accident. No need for guilt, cruelty, pressure or anything other than UNDERSTANDING about what it was . . .an accident.

Somehow in my years of growing up, I ‘took on’ accidents or mistakes as being my fault and it left me with a feeling of failure, clumsiness, or something where I felt shame. I see how there are times I repeat that pattern and feel . . . ugh.

These feelings and experiences are extremely hard to re-direct unless we know we can feel COMPASSION and UNDERSTANDING for ourselves. These situations are because we are HUMAN and down through the ages we are wanting only to please others but to do a really good job of ‘it.’ It truly is like learning a foreign language, especially a language that has more than one meaning for each word.

As she spoke to me about ‘SOFTLY’, I could actually feel a golden warmth flood my body in a sort of bath for my soul in light and loving kindness. It was indeed palpable. It seemed that my whole life passed before me in all the ways I misunderstood people and situations and addressed myself quite harshly. Name calling particularly comes to mind. From that moment of great incite and relief I have watched myself very carefully how I speak to myself and about others.

When someone is ill, hurt or confused it is needed to be kind, compassionate, understanding (even if we don’t completely) and RESPOND to ourselves or another SOFTLY. Think of how you’d respond if a baby kitten or puppy or pet got hurt or abused. We can think of ourselves as that fragile pet that deserves the SOFT approach. It matters not if we are angry at the time, we can still respond SOFTLY if we take 10 seconds to breathe and ‘become’ that injured person or pet.

This may take some practice but isn’t this the way you’d want someone to respond to you? I certainly would. The person injured is YOU on one level because we are all the same HUMAN-WISE. Living here at the VILLAGE brings that home to me every single day! I’m ever so grateful every single day that I can do what I do and I APPRECIATE the effort that so many of us make just to go to a meal.

SOFTLY, SOFTLY

THE BREEZE BLOWS

THE RAIN FALLS

THE HAND REACHING

OUT TO US

TO HELP US ON OUR

WAY.

BLESSINGS