Feelings

 

"I begin each day with the intention to be of service. Only by allowing our grief, outrage, longing, pain and tears can we discover the wise heart pain and that can contain them all." -An African elder

So many times we push away or deny our feelings, thinking we can't handle them or simply wanting to avoid their pain. One person I spoke with told me she put her unpleasant memories in a little box in the back of her mind so she won't feel them. As we grow older the unconscious harm of our denial causes us a multitude of diseases. When we shut out or deny some feeling, we close our heart to feel other ones. No longer can we feel love and compassion at any depth. We lose precious experiences that life has to offer when we shut down the smallest part of ourselves. By allowing ourselves to feel all our feelings we can remain healthy! We are stronger than we know. Freedom lies in acceptance, not denial.

There is such freedom and joy in knowing that I have the capacity to feel all my feelings.