Don't blink—there's just over three weeks left in the year.
And what might be a tweak in your practice to carry into the new year?
Here's something we all grapple with from time to time—the act of
withholding. It can be as simple as "No, I'm not giving you the last portion of this treat"; or "No, I've had a rough day too, I'm not going to do one more thing for you"; or "No, I've earned this, you can't have it!"
See a
pattern here? We're feeling vulnerable, ignored, dismissed, and so on. So we become self-protective and pinch our hearts in order to take care of Our Selves. And yet, that's not what we're doing at all.
Let's let Ralph Waldo Emerson teach us in a much more graceful
way:
"The love that you withhold is the pain that you carry". When we refuse to give love in the moment, all kinds of possibilities become impossible. In that moment, it's not about the "thing" we're withholding. It goes much deeper and speaks to the very act of love, doesn't
it?
Now I'm not implying that you set aside what or how you're feeling and switch gears into a rosier dispostion. However, each of the examples above can be softened with a bit of love: "I really want this treat—and—let's split it." / "We've both had rough days, how can we
care for each other?" / "I feel I've earned this and I'm finding it difficult to share."
See how this changes the moment and opens the door for love to step forward? Granted, no small feat in the heat of the moment, And yet, that's where the teachings and possibilties for healing
are.
What do you do when you find Your Self "Withholding" (2:52)?
