Thought for Today
Spread your love like grass seed. Move out.
Don’t be afraid of potentially negative situations.
See each as a place to grow more flowers,
to cast your inner seeds out on this now fertile soil.
For as this time of transition draws nearer,
the soil is increasingly fertile.
So many are feeling lost,
are paying closer attention,
and are asking the way.
It is fertile soil
even if there is negativity presently growing on it.
If it wasn’t fertile soil
the negativity couldn’t grow.
That soil that can grow the seed that comes to it.
Let it be seeds of Light.
~ Aaron
A familiar off-handed compliment goes something like this: “You don’t sweat much for a fat lady.” Or, “You are smarter than you look.”
While we might not have used these exact words, you can bet you have (or have had) thoughts that plant seeds of darkness even as you wish for light.
“Worry is not the same energy as love,” is a statement I use frequently. People understand that. They recognize the truth of it. Yet, often we are more likely to let ourselves worry, especially with regards to those we care most about.
I got very few spankings in my life. Two to be exact. One was because I was smoking in the crawlspace. I was less than ten years of age at the time. The other was for riding a bicycle. The former spanking is more understandable than the latter.
I had been riding a bike that belonged to my cousin, Jane.
Jane and I met half-way, at a big hill. She rode her bike. I walked. I was not allowed to have (or ride) a bike, because my mom was a worrier, and a person can get hurt riding a bike.
Jane and I were taking turns riding her bike down and then walking it back up a fairly steep hill.
Coming down the steep hill, pedaling for all I am worth, the bike begins traveling speeds faster than my legs can go around and keep up with the pedals. As my foot slip ofsf the pedal, the pedal comes around right into the calf of my leg! Wham!!!
Ouch!
Searing pain—much worse than the worst Charley-horse possible, then a fist-sized knot and the blackest-and-bluest bruise appears. I am hobbling when I arrive back home.
I will not describe my memory of that spanking, but take my word for it: A spanking really can give you something to cry about.
Why do we miss what we are really feeling and act out other feelings in contradiction to our true inner world? In Glass Sword, Victoria Aveyard writes, “If you die, I’ll kill you.” That makes no sense….
My mom could have been angry that I had disobeyed, concerned that I had hurt myself, relieved it was not worse, and concerned I might disobey her again in the future. NONE of these appropriate feelings qualify for a spanking.
When a person behaves in a less-than-skillful manner it is likely the result of a lack of awareness. His or her inner world is driving the action.
Renowned psychologist and emotion researcher, Robert Plutchik, suggests there are just eight basic emotions:
Anger
Fear
Sadness
Disgust
Surprise
Anticipation
Trust
Joy
But our inner worlds are complex. We can be at a loss for how to identify, let alone express, them.
And the words we express are not the feelings. (See Joel’s February 2020 article.) Feeling words are the map, and our inner worlds are the territory.
Still, feeling words are the way of understanding and sharing our lives with others. A fluent emotional vocabulary can help us better understand ourselves and empathize with others.
You may benefit from a list of feeling words, especially if you have difficulty identifying what you are feeling, finding a way to say it, or if you simply wish to become more fluent in emotional expression. LiveBoldandBloom.com has created “The Ultimate List of Emotions.”
Knowing what you feel and how to express those feelings is a great tool for relaxed relating. Fertile soil grows anything. It is said we reap what we sow. Let’s sow seeds of light.