"You Know How It Is"

"No husband of mine will say, 'I could have been a drummer, but I had to think about the wife and kids. You know how it is.' Nobody supports me at the expense of his own adventure." - Maxine Hong Kingston, academic and writer

This makes me think about getting out of self and doing for others before I do for me. Being less self-centered was never really my strong suit way back when. I was usually concerned about how I would be affected by anything and everything. Even if something was going on in your life, I automatically reacted based upon how the good or bad news would affect ME! It was selfishness to the extreme.

It's never easy for me to admit my faults to others. This selfishness was a BIG problem in my life. I've always wanted to "appear" to have it all together. The problem was that I didn't really have it all together so it became a chore to try to keep up appearances. I've come to a point in my life now where it's not okay for me to fake being perfect anymore. I'm not talking about acting morose all of the time or constantly whining and pouting. I'm talking about letting some of my close friends know what's really going on with me when they ask. If I'm struggling with an issue (like self-centered fear or jealousy or anger), they always help me see things in a different way. The beauty for me is in getting a different perspective in order to process whatever life is throwing my way.

Earlier today, a friend of mine posted on Facebook that he was "teachable" today. I want to always remain teachable so that I can continue to grow spiritually. My teachers have shown me how they got through the good and the bad times in their lives and I follow their examples. I want to be open to all possibilities today and I never want to take away a person's chance for adventure because I want them to support me instead. These days my goal is to help others as much as possible. The rewards are astounding. I always get more in return than what I give. Thank you God!