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Acceptance is Magic

What would happen if you truly appreciated you are enough exactly as you are?

What would happen if you understood the beliefs deep inside of you that say you are less than, wrong or even broken, are just ways you learned to view yourself when you were young and are not true?

Having the kind of childhood I did, with deep trauma woven all the way through it, I fell hook, line, and sinker into the belief that not only was I broken, but I was bad and wrong to my core. But slowly, I was able to see these beliefs and to recognize they were something I absorbed when I was young, and I no longer had to be under their spell. I now see them with fascinated curiosity and utter compassion to the extent that, when they arise, (and they still do when I am really challenged by life), I say hello rather than falling headlong into their stories.

Having explored with people for over 38 years now it is truly evident that we all have some level of not okayness inside of us. It can go all the way from a subtle unease to a deep feeling of being broken.

It is possible to set these old beliefs free and the first step is to understand that all these uncomfortable thoughts, feelings and beliefs are a part of your journey. They didn’t show up in your life because somebody did something wrong (like your parents) or you did something wrong. They are, as Ram Dass so beautifully says, grist for the mill. Or as Eckart Tolle alludes to, they are tailor-made for waking you up to the joy of being fully alive.

The second step is to discover that your pain is part of the collective pain and is a beautiful catalyst for healing. As Sufi Vilayat Inayat Khan says,

“Overcome any bitterness that may have come because you were not up to the magnitude of the pain entrusted to you. Like the mother of the world who carries the pain of the world in her heart, you are sharing in a certain measure of that cosmic pain, and are called upon to meet it in joy instead of self-pity.”

It took me a while to see my pain as an inlet in the ocean of pain that all beings carry. It also took a while to see that life entrusted me with this pain. As I learned how to honor the pain I have been given, I discovered how to meet it with curiosity and compassion, and now, every time I do, it brings forth great joy.

Everything I share in my blogs, radio shows, books and groups is all about the pathway from reaction to response, from contraction to connection and from fear to trust. And today I invite you to allow one, long, slow out-breath and say to yourself, “I am enough, exactly as I am!” You could even sing it, weaving it into a love song from you to you!  Whether you see it or not, you are an exquisitely perfect and absolutely necessary part of life and every single part of you is an essential piece of your journey!

  1. This is the first time I am saying this in my life “ I am enough exactly as I am”.
    After working on myself for so many years, reading so many spiritual and growth books these words may be a respite for me today💖
    Peace to all of us today.

  2. Thank you, Mary!
    So wonderfully said. Especially now, in my elder years, I find forgiving myself ( for pain that does not belong to me) over and over again.
    Yes, indeed, the layers of Trama!
    My prayers continue for you.
    Be Well,
    Marlys

  3. God bless you, Mary, for this encouraging truth: “And today I invite you to allow one, long, slow out-breath and say to yourself, “I am enough, exactly as I am!” Not less than, not wrong, not lost, not wanting, not damaged…Me! All of me, myself and I on this journey road forward with all of it, with all of you, and grateful to be here for the sparks of joy when they emerge like Spring flowers after rain. Godspeed always, Sky Ann

  4. Mary, I am always deeply touch d by your writings and always look forward to them! Sending wishes for health and peace you way.