Authenticity, openness and being myself – a few weeks ago I heard anonymous feedback that there were too many dogs around me in roles where I was supposed to play someone else. These guys are such a big part of me and my authenticity, and authenticity is a value that I intend to amplify even more and I think everyone should do it.
Let’s be ourselves and proudly show off what/who is part of us! It is only by showing our true selves and seeing others’ that we can stand up for our needs in terms of the people and the environment we want to keep alive. Sincere and heartfelt thanks to this anonymous person who gave me even more courage to be.
Yes, dogs are part of me, but they are not me. I’m still me and they’ve just helped me to bring out what I am. One is the greatest fear monger in the world and the other is the greatest defender of self. Anyone who knows these boys knows which is the scaredy-cat and which is the happy-go-lucky, stand-up-for-your-own-wishes boy. Both of them are inside me.
At times, my dogs have perhaps been a little too much a part of my identity, but this is my journey. I’ve also been told that it’s not okay to go down this route. But if the routes don’t match, you can also take different routes. That’s very, very OK. Really. And of course, I don’t take my dogs where there are allergy sufferers or very large dog flocks.
Of course, it hurt when I was told that dogs were around me too often. But life is all about communication, and through it we learn what works for us and what doesn’t. We learn not to blend in, not to change ourselves, but to perceive our own and others’ limits and make our choices accordingly. We are learning about ENDA’s needs. Let’s learn to be even more ourselves. Once the lesson is learned, move on. We never have to change ourselves.
We need to heal ourselves, not change. Relationships just bring up old wounds that can now be healed, rather than putting new patches on. Being a support to different people on a daily basis, I see a lot of people holding back because they are used to adapting to the needs of others, or hearing from spiritual teachers that “every relationship teaches you something and experience it, it is given to you for a reason”. It is, but you don’t have to massively get stuck in when the lesson is learned. Be grateful for it, learn, heal and move on. Don’t change yourself for the sake of others, take the opportunity to heal your old wounds and be a more vibrant you.
