WHEN WORDS STING, FINDING PRAISE IN POKES
Today a friend called one of my ideas fanciful.
I felt both a subtle poke in my belly and also a soft pleasure in my chest.
Fantasy comes from the Latin word phantasia, which means ‘power of imagination’.
What I felt in my gut was his suggestion that by not being realistic, my idea was un-good, which I made a proxy for my own un-goodness.
I like to not skip over these small discomforts—not muscle through them or gloss over them—because they are little openings into a place where I can come to ‘know thyself’ more intimately and love myself more completely.
Not only this, but by being with and letting go of the story that makes it hurt, I create a space where I can see clearly.
Often in this space, I find wisdom, strength, and guidance in exactly that which provides discomfort.
Here, I found a way to hear my friend's words as a voice of encouragement.
To live from the power of imagination rather than realistically is my birthright, my bliss, and my gift.
If it is true that we all have unique offerings in this life, then our authenticity will have us colliding with one another, and not without hurting or injuring one another.
The offspring of our interlocution come from both the pleasure and pain of that dance.
All of this is beauty.
So slow down your listening, inquire into your feeling, find the praise in that which made the pain, and stand proudly for how who you are Being bangs, bumps, and burdens the world.
Loving us, JPM
PS - If you want to be freer to bang, bump, and burden the world, then comment below and tell me what you’d love to create. I’m here to help.
Speaker, Author, Coach at J. Mathias Bennett
1yAn insightful, subtle distinction