Lotus Bloom

Anytime I remember that one of the significant attributes of a lotus flower is the brilliance of the white petals that are nourished by and supported by the dark mud far below the surface of the water, I am again struck with a deep manner of profundity. I have always felt a resonance with the lotus flower, but off the cuff, it always seems due to its beautiful process of unfolding its many petals to create something magnificent resting on the water's surface. It isn't always reminiscent of what I found so striking about it tonight, of its clean, white petals shining pure and true after having risen from the muck and debris at the bottom of the lake. I easily draw a correlation to my life, as do many people to their own, I'm sure.

The lotus means many things, I had just forgotten that it also means rising from whatever dark mud you may find yourself in, and pushing yourself further in growth until you one day break the surface and bloom with the beautiful, pure, clean, white love you were always capable of. If you don't let go of the mud and rise above it, you will forever stay under the surface of your own potential, drowning without ever realizeing the blossom you could have been. Remember to humbly appreciate that without that muck, debris, and dark mud, your bloom would not be as strong, healthy or vibrant. We are stronger than the darkness that lies under our surface, not in spite of it, but inspired to rise from it. It nourishes our will to become something beautiful and light. It supports our growth by fueling our learning opportunities. And it remains constantly there, a reminder that no matter what sludge may exist within us, therein lies a fertile ground for the growth of our authentic beauty.

Brene Brown and The Anatomy of Trust

    I listened to Brene Brown's "Anatomy of Trust" video again today, after having first seen it maybe a couple yeas ago, and was once again reminded of the person I want to be. She breaks it down because after studying and researching trust, she came to the astute conclusion that trust does not hinge on just one aspect of a person's character, nor does it get received for just one characteristic. It is an assembly of many traits that to the degree someone is possessing or lacking said trait, can be a barometer to measure whether trust is there. She calls it Braving Trust.

    As I'm hearing her brilliantly and eloquently go over the components she found while researching this topic, I am mentally taking inventory within myself of the amount (some) of the ones I do okay in, and the ones (seems like a lot more) that I want to see myself do so much better on. And as I went through and saw the ones I want to get better on, I already could see how far I've come in my own growth. Because instead of becoming sad and depressed about how much I suck (or would've thought I sucked) I realize I am able to see these characteristics that have left me such room for improvement not through the filter of guilt, but instead through the filter of loving acknowledgement that has me on a path of positive change instead of dumping me harshly on a downward spiral of guilt and shame and self-loathing.

    I can see that this is a big difference in my ability to do anything about these things I want to improve in my life. I'm not saying there aren't striken moments on the path of positive change where I slip back into old ways of thinking about how useless I am, or how I fail at everything, or how unlovable I am, unreliable, untrustworthy, awful and ugly. And these moments are not fun and they hurt, but I can recognize my growth at how much more quickly I remind myself which path I want to be on. I keep it from putting me on the spiral downward by thinking about the path I want to be on, and therefore I find myself on it again. Our thoughts and the way we feel about them are the strongest magic we have in this life. It is thinking about being on this path of positivity that I can look at myself, and all my faults, and lovingly vow to continue to do my best everyday, no matter how varied that "best" is from day to day. Because one of the cornerstone points of Brene's talk is the importance of Braving Trust with ourselves. That is where it all begins. Here is the link to this wonderful talk by this insightful, thoughtful, loving soul. Thank you, Brene.

Brene Brown "The Anatomy of Trust"