This morning as I clicked around to various blogs, I found this:
But I will tag Pippa, Deb, Jen (of course - I know how much she loves to do memes), and Chani. Please, lovely ladies, share with us what you love about yourself. And tag as many or as few as you would like.
Tabba has presented a challenge.
I've been thinking about this most of the day. How do I do this? It's not my natural inclination to look at myself in these terms. And then.. which ones are chosen and which are innate? Does it matter?
Still, given the discussion last week, I decided to try. If I have to sit here staring at a blank page for two hours, I will do it. It's good exercise for me. You know, I'm resisting.. and if I'm resisting, it probably means it is important to do it.
I am going to re-frame it just a bit though. I will talk about the gifts I am most grateful for... the internal gifts.
- I am grateful that I have never been consumed with a need for revenge or retribution. I've never felt the need to get even with anyone or bring someone to their knees because of a perceived injustice.
- I am grateful that non-judgement is very easy for me.
- I am grateful that I was given the gift of language, the ability to use it and the ability to communicate with others reasonably effectively.
- I am grateful for my lack of attraction to a consumerist lifestyle, even though I was raised among the most egregious consumerists known to mankind.
- I am grateful to be able to accept nearly anyone with an understanding that we are all here on our own karmic journeys. Even when I disagree with someone's choices, I do not condemn.
- I am grateful that I never developed a need for moral superiority or superiority in any arena actually.
- I am grateful to be consistently aware of my very obvious imperfection.
- I am grateful that I love to read and to learn new things.
- I am grateful to have an innate ability to be organized.
- I am grateful to be a spiritual being with a strong sense of my connection to others, to the spirit world and to the earth itself.
- I am grateful to have the ability to logically evaluate the changes I need to make in my life instead of feeling trapped in discontent.
That's about all I can come up with.. and I'm not really certain which of these
things are inherent and which are learned.
And perhaps it doesn't really matter.
If you are reading this, you are tagged. :)
Thanks, Tabba. It was an interesting exercise.
Peace,
~Chani
Thursday, May 17, 2007
Gratitude for who we choose to be....
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
15 comments:
How do you always manage to find the perfect pictures for your posts?
What an interesting exercise. It's so anti american girl culture to admit anything nice about yourself, at least not directly. I think you did a great job. I would like to like that i am not judgmental, but i am still working on not being that.
I read it but am not sure when I'll have the chance to blog it.. kinda workin on a few zillion projects right now so it's easier to just throw easy posts up and this one won't be easy :)
I'm glad that you did this, Chani. We all know these things about you already. It's nice to see that you recognize them too.
I totally agree with Slouching Mom.
And I realized that when I presented this to you, it would be difficult based on some of last week's post. But this wasn't about convincing someone else, or bragging. I felt that it was simply about saying, this is what is beautiful about me. And in a world that can beat us up sometimes, I need to say it so that I can hear it.
Thanks for partiicpating & you did a great job with it!!
It was very hard to do wasn't it? I know I had a tough time with it. But it is good to look at our good stuff.
self-evaluation is so tough.
I'm not surprised by any of this, it comes out in your writing.
Chani - (I noticed the other day that you are one of the only people who when I comment, I HAVE to write your name...)
I love that you put your own "twist" on this exercise - that is so YOU.
I am glad that you recognized that in addition to being SMART, you most certainly do have a grasp on the gift of language and communication.
Maybe I'll give this a go...
As for your list, all those qualities shine through.
I was all, "Oh Chani, that's awesome, what great qualities, what great things to recognize about yourself, this is so cool," until you wrote that anyone reading this is tagged, LOL.
I'm going to stick with the first half.
I'm glad you did it, and glad you enjoyed it. :)
I will be thinking about this. If I get anywhere, I'll post it. Even if I don't, something is brewing as I try to figure out what else I want to incorporate into my life, based on who I am and what I love.
I think you came up with A LOT. I was going to say it doesn't matter if these qualities are inherent or learned, but then thought if they are learned, it would be good to know, because maybe others who are interested can learn them too.
shyte. you are so articulate. The first thing that popped into my head was that I am grateful that I made it this far.
coming in the middle...very interesting and powerful to think about what you resist is often something you should do.. puch the limits so to speak. Thank you for the reflections.
Chani, you are all of that and more.
It's wonderful that you also recognize your special gifts, but then, as the totally honest person you are, you would have to, wouldn't you?
Great job! And a great and inspiring read.
I see your meme and raise you another challenge! I'll post about it when I answer the meme - my first btw!
Lil
ps. Um, I haven't read your complete post yet, it's bedtime but I just had to stop by my "regular" blogs to see what's up...I'll be back!
Meno, sometimes I just put a word into the images search engine and see which picture or artwork appeals to me. Thanks. :)
I've always had a very difficult time with the "love yourself" stuff... and that is what made this exercise a little more challenging than most.. but, yeah, it was good in the end.
~*
Snoskred, no, it's not one of the easier, quicker ones!LOL
~*
SM, thanks. I do appreciate everyone who came by to say something. It felt pretty awkward putting something like this out. :)
~*
Tabba, in general, it seems most people just don't know me.. and that's okay. I don't ever want to be one of those people who asserts "uniqueness". You know the old question, "If everyone is unique, what's unique about that". I kind of wanted to turn it into a spiritual exercise.. you know, remembering to be grateful for the internal gifts we've been given, the things that allow us to cope with this plane at all.
~*
Deb.. yeah.. True enough :)
~*
Bob, thank you. :) Yes, it is hard to do that kind of t-sheet self-evaluation, qualifying each thing. "This is good. This is bad." It's so binary.
~*
QT, yes.. I had to alter it a bit or I wouldn't have been able to do it at all.
~*
Pam, I'll look forward to seeing yours. :)
~*
Julie, you read it. You're tagged. LOL
~*
De, I really think very few traits are so ingrained that we don't have the power to change. Luckily, some of these things came easily to me.. but who's to say they'll never change. There doesn't seem to be anything about the emotional or mental construct of human beings that is immutable. Sometimes Those With An Agenda try to indicate there is because it serves their purposes to do so.
~*
CM, that's something to be grateful for, eh? :)
~*
Pecos, I've always believed that. The things I resist most are usually the things that need to be explored.
~*
Susan, I'll look forward to yours, too! :)
~*
Lil, raise me another challenge? Uh oh. LOL
~*
Thanks, everyone. This was a hard one. I appreciate your comments. :)
Peace,
~Chani
Post a Comment