Sunday, December 30, 2012

Pearls

There has been the irritating grain of sorrow embedded in the flesh of my psyche for years and years and years.  And, like an oyster, I've turned that small grain into a pearl, at least of sorts.  But even though humans value pearls, to an oyster, it's just an irritant worked around.  No matter how beautiful the pearl, it's still just the byproduct of the mollusk immune system trying to protect itself.
And while I'm tempted to explore this process more deeply, today at least, I'm done with this exploration.  I'm done with examining this process, what created it, and where it's leading.  I'm done with the morose and taxing introspection that has led me to great insight, but today seems unnecessary.

Today, what seems completely necessary is to simply let go.  Let those who value the pearl as adornment take it and adorn themselves, but for myself, I'm happy to simply let it go.  I don't need to over-value its presence, to over-esteem the process that created it.  I don't need to make this the most precious part of myself or to continue building a life around it.

It has served its purpose, but I cannot continue to be beholden to its beauty or its power or anything else about it.  It was just an irritant, and I'm grateful for the fruit it bore, but it is time to build my life around something new.


Friday, December 7, 2012

Newness

Perspective and intention make all the difference. When faced with difficulty or confusion, a shift in at least one of these two changes how you see things. A shift in both is the beginning of newness.