thinknsmile.com
Last week I wrote about doing shadow work in “Why Me? Asks the Shadow.” Facing my dark side again helped me remember Who I Am and how blind I’ve been to others’ pain since I moved. I had to experience it myself before I could feel it in others, and now I feel it everywhere.
Mentally, I knew that the Fabulous Four who helped me through the first wave of grief have greater challenges than mine, but I couldn’t feel their pain until now. Collectively, these friends from different states and countries have had serious challenges for many years—like Parkinson’s Disease, Multiple Sclerosis, long-term misdiagnosed illness, loss of sight and ability to walk or speak, and fear of “not having enough money” to phone a friend, despite owning a house worth more than a million dollars.
My new neighbors have two young sons with autism and a younger daughter with ADHD. The wife brought me a large container of homemade cookies and candies for Christmas and offered to “bring me a plate” of their Christmas brunch and dinner, which I declined because I knew her hands were full just taking care of her family. On reflection, I now believe that declining her gift was a mistake because I did not allow her to share. And sharing is important because it’s an act of kindness and we get what we put out.
Another neighbor works as a personal assistant for wealthy families doing things like housework, making appointments, running errands…you name it. Essentially, her jobs require her to do everything she does for herself and her family plus other families. No wonder she’s never home!
My mail carrier at the rented house had psychological issues and every time he came, he talked about his problems. I listened, but I could not feel his pain. I do now. My realtors in Durango and Heber Springs did not tell me about their fears, but I felt them this past week.
I could go on, but you get the gist of it: facing your shadow self can help you be more compassionate.
When I first moved here, I remember saying “I am not myself” several times, despite being a Minister of Metaphysics. As stated in the previous post, I believe I created my challenges so I could work on myself.
Many people in my life believe they are compassionate, but they are not. I even had to exclude one friend because I was too deep in my grief to listen to those off-the-wall judgmental, undermining-everything-I-say comments. As one of my teachers says, “Choose your friends wisely.”
The point I’m trying to make is that everyone has their hidden sorrows. Everyone has challenges. Everyone has pain. So, “Please be kind to everyone you meet, for we all have our hidden sorrows” (Tzaddi, a.k.a. Pam Young).
What does “Be Kind” mean?
Listen to others without judgment. Consider the Golden Rule that shows up in all religions, including the occult. In Christianity, it is: “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.”
That’s a good place to start. Changing our world begins with changing ourselves. We’re all in this together.
skatingthru2012 
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