"The Awakening"

A time comes in your life when you finally get it.
 When in the midst of all your fears and insanity
you stop dead in your tracks and somewhere the
voice inside your head cries out - ENOUGH!
Enough fighting and crying, or struggling to hold on.
And, like a child quieting down after a blind tantrum,
your sobs begin to subside, you shudder once or twice,
you blink back your tears and through a mantle of wet lashes
you begin to look at the world through new eyes.
This is your AWAKENING!!!

You realize that it's time to stop hoping and waiting
for something to change, or for happiness, safety
and security to come galloping over the next horizon.
You come to terms with the fact that he is not Prince
Charming and you are not Cinderella, or vice-a-versa,
and that in the real world there aren't always fairy tale
 endings (or beginnings for that matter) and that any
guarantee of "happily ever after" must begin with you.
And in the process, a sense of serenity is born of acceptance.

You awaken to the fact that you are not perfect, and that
not everyone will always love, appreciate or approve
 of who or what you are - and that's OK.
(They are entitled to their own views and opinions).
And you learn the importance of loving and championing
yourself, and in the process, a sense of newly found
confidence is born of self-approval.

You stop bitching and blaming other people
for the things they did to you (or didn't do for you)
and you learn that the only thing you can really
count on is the unexpected.

You learn that people don't always say what they mean
or mean what they say, and that not everyone will
always be there for you, and that it's not always
about you.  So, you learn to stand on your own
and to take care of yourself and in the process,
a sense of safety and security is born of
 self-reliance.

You stop judging and pointing fingers, and you begin
to accept people as they are, and to overlook their
 shortcomings and human frailties and, in
the process, a sense of peace & contentment is born of
forgiveness.

You realize that much of the way you view yourself and the
world around you is a result of all the messages and opinions
that have been ingrained into your psyche.
And you begin to sift through all the crap you've been fed
about how you should behave, how you should look,
how much you should weigh, what you should wear,
where you should shop, what you should drive, how and
where you should live, what you should do for a living, who
you should sleep with, who you should marry, what you
should expect of marriage, the importance of having
and raising children, or what you owe your parents.

You learn to open up to new worlds and different points of
view.  You begin reassessing and redefining who you are
and who you're needing, and you begin to discard the
doctrines and values you've outgrown, or should never
have bought into to begin with, and in the process, you
learn to go with your instincts.

You learn that it is truly in giving that we receive.
And that there is power and glory in creating
and contributing, and you stop manoeuvring
through life merely as a "consumer" looking for your
next fix.  You learn that principles such as honesty
and integrity are not the outdated ideals
of a bygone era, but the mortar that holds together the
foundation upon which you must build a life.

You learn that you don't know everything, it's not your job
to save the world, and that you can't teach a pig to sing.

You learn to distinguish between guilt and responsibility,
and the importance of setting boundaries and learning
to say NO.  You learn that the only cross to bear is the one
you choose to carry, and that martyrs get burned at the stake.

Then you learn about love.  Romantic love and familial
love.  How to love, how much to give in love, when to stop
giving, and when to walk away.  You learn not to project
your needs or your feelings onto a relationship, or base
your importance by the man or woman on your arm
or the child that bears your name.

You learn to look at relationships as they really are
and not as you would have them be.  You stop trying to
control people, situations, and outcomes.
You learn that just as people grow and change,
so it is with love.  And you learn that you don't have the
right to demand love on your terms just to make you happy.
And, you learn that alone does not mean lonely.

And you look in the mirror and come to terms with the fact
that you will never be a size 5 or a perfect 10 and you stop
trying to compete with the image inside your head and
agonizing over how you "stack up".  You also
stop working so hard at putting your feelings aside,
smoothing things over, and ignoring your needs.
You learn that feelings of entitlement are perfectly OK,
and that it is your right to want things and to ask for
the things that you want, and that sometimes it is
necessary to make demands.

You come to the realization that you deserve to be treated
with love, kindness, sensitivity, and respect, and you
will not settle for less.  And you allow only the hands
of a lover who cherishes you, to glorify you with
his or her touch, and in the process you internalize
the meaning of self-respect.

And you learn that your body really is your temple.
You begin eating a balanced diet, drinking more water,
and taking more time to exercise.  You learn that
fatigue diminishes the spirit and can create
doubt and fear, so you take more time to rest.  And,
just as food fuels the body, laughter fuels our soul,
so you take more time to laugh and to play.

You learn that, for the most part, in life you get what you
believe you deserve, and that much of life truly
is a self-fulfilling prophecy.  You learn that anything
worth achieving is worth working for, and that
wishing for something to happen is different from
working toward making it happen.

More importantly, you learn that in order to achieve
success, you need direction, discipline, and perseverance.
You also learn that no one can do it all alone and that
it's OK to risk asking for help.

You learn that the only thing you must truly fear is the
great robber baron of all time, FEAR itself.
You learn to step right into and through your
fears, because you know that whatever happens you
can handle it, and to give in to fear is to give away
the right to live life on your terms.  And you learn
to fight for your life and not to squander it
living under a cloud of impending doom.

You learn that life isn't always fair, you don't always get
what you think you deserve, and that sometimes bad
things happen to unsuspecting, good people.
On these occasions you learn not to personalize
things.  You learn that God isn't punishing you
or failing to answer your prayers.  It's just
life happening.  And you learn to deal with
evil in its most primal state -
the ego.

You learn that, so called, negative feelings such as anger,
envy, and resentment must be understood and redirected,
or they will suffocate the life out of you
and poison the universe that surrounds you.

You learn to admit when you are wrong and to build
bridges instead of walls.  You learn to be thankful and
to take comfort in many of the simple things we take for
granted, things that millions of people upon the earth can
only dream about; a full refrigerator, clean running water,
a soft warm bed, a long hot shower.

Slowly, you begin to take responsibility for yourself,
by yourself, and you try to make yourself a promise -
to never betray yourself and to never,
ever settle for less than your heart's desire.

And you hang a wind chime outside your window so you can
listen to the wind.  And you make it a point to keep
smiling, to keep trusting, and to stay open to every
wonderful possibility.  Finally, with courage in your
heart and the presence of God within and around you,
you take a stand, you take a deep breath, and you begin
to design the life you want to live, the
life you desire, knowing it's in your highest good!

The author, so far, is unknown, but I'm
trying to trace them.  In the meantime,
feel free to distribute this.

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