Journey to Self: Journey to Love

The Journey to Self The world at age 29 looks a whole lot different than it did twenty years ago. Well, at least that's expected. Now let's look back about ten years. Yes, the world and my perspective of it is changing daily. Is it true what they say? The more things change, the more they stay the same. Whoever came up with that one? I can see the truth in that one. When I think about my hometown, family, and old friends, then the old saying holds true. No matter what you go through in life, inner and outer changes, career changes, relationship changes; there is something about home that should give you a sense of security and balance. Family and home give you somewhere to return to, even if it's temporary, when life begins to feel out of your control. Some may not have this type of safe-haven to escape to from their lives, but there is no greater feeling than being able to have a place to go or people to call on when the burdens of life overwhelm you. I have to agree; there really is” no place like home”. “Home” for some may not be home for others. As we observe some of the tragic events taking place in our nation at this time, and the destruction of communities whether by homicides or natural causes, we see that some of us have no home of which to return. So as we mature, we realize that there is so much work to be done within and without to even maintain that sense of balance afforded us by home and family. We learn to nurture ourselves despite our circumstances instead of reaching for an external haven of peace, which is usually temporary anyway. We discover that the “burdens” of life are only temporary as well. If we can master achieving peace within, then our external conditions are unable to disturb us. The art of mastering peace within takes some work. As children, all we had to do was just cry about it and Mom or Dad or Grandma and Grandpa would fix it. However, becoming an adult truly requires developing and maintaining our own self-sufficiency. Not in a sense that we don't need others, but we have to know that there's a resolve to situations, even if it's not an instantaneous one. Now try to explain that to the microwave/technology savvy generation we've grown up in and are further creating. We want instant results! We can see the example of wanting instant results in the way we operate in our relationships and even in the workplace. Instant gratification can actually become an addiction. Technology has truly evolved the entire way we see, do, and communicate in our world today. We generally want “a lot for a little”. We want all the glory of a new job or relationship, but don't want to start at the bottom and work our way up or into something great. Hey, we are very needy people from the money department to the love department. Some of us may be in denial about “needing” love, but we all need it. Yes, we have the love from within, but let's just face it, again there is nothing like having the external love from family, children, friends, and/or a significant other. Again, when we become out of balance even in the love department, it may cause us to act in desperation mode. This is unhealthy and only winds up keeping us from the love we truly desire. So we must return to the home or the love within in order to truly become balanced; these are the signs of maturity. The end of our twenties and crossing over into the thirties, sometimes make us feel a sense of desperation toward our life goals, if we aren't doing what we want, and our relationship goals. We start to think, “I'm so old now”, or “I was supposed to be married by now”. Also, how about, “my life is over!” These are very comical statements huh? This type of thinking is the furthest thing from the truth. We have to know and trust that everything is in Divine Order in our lives, and that the state of our current life and or relationship situations is due to whatever we did yesterday. For every action, there is a reaction. As for yesterday, now is the time to let go. Now is the time to begin building toward our goals, especially if our circumstances are displeasing to us. We will no longer live in “shoulda, coulda, woulda”. Whether you are 30, 40, or even 50 plus, it's never too late to do what your heart desires. You can have the “good life” that you desire. Sure, some work is in order, but undoing the mistakes from our pasts, if they were unhealthy, takes time. I don't know how long it's going to take, but I do know that giving up is not an option for me. We have to develop a clear picture of what we want and know that the Universe will deliver. We have to find out or re-visit our special gifts and talents; the thing that we are best at or that we know God has placed within us. We need to realize who we are, and find out how we can contribute to our dream and help others along the way. Living this life is not just about us. That is not why God created us. In fact that is a selfish way to live, and we know of people who live this way. The world revolves around them. Maybe we've even been that person a time or two, but again that's the difference between thinking as a child and thinking as a mature adult. We all must play our part.