Just wanted to post a quick little Love Note today – we’re having some beautiful weather here and it’s great to get out and do a little gardening – mostly weed pulling, to be honest!Hot Lips Salvia

As I write that, I realize how easily I can relate my thinking to gardening (one of my fave hobbies)!   I can easily compare some of the mental chatter that goes on in my mind with the way my garden grows.  As often as I plant healthy seeds and nurture them, the weeds of “negative” thinking still take over!  Seemingly overnight, my nicely planted garden becomes infiltrated by a nasty little weed that grows everywhere, winding its way through everything.  (Seriously, there’s a weed called “Sticky Willie” that not only sticks to me, but I seem to have a definite sensitivity to it – causing whatever bare skin it touches to become really irritated and begin to itch like crazy – what a perfect metaphor for the stinkin’ thinkin’.)

 

The Nasty Weed of Shame

A lot of my negative thinking is around shame.   I’ve often been the one who’s ashamed about being “too sensitive,” ashamed for being so weird and unlike the rest of my family, ashamed because I felt so deeply flawed.  Learning to keep hidden and out of the spotlight so I didn’t feel so vulnerable to more shaming.

 

Shame and vulnerability are such hot buttons for many of us, especially the way most of our culture define them – equating them with weakness.   Personally, I’m really grateful for those trailblazers, like Brene’ Brown, who are speaking honestly about these subjects and helping many of us to recognize the gifts of what we’ve considered weaknesses.

 

Have you seen Brene’s film on Netflix?  If not, I highly recommend it!   As a researcher, she clearly knows her stuff and yet she brings a light-heartedness and truth to topics which have been pretty much taboo.  (Because who wants to talk about SHAME?)

 

I happened to catch her film a week or so ago – perfect time as I’d just experienced some emotional turmoil and did a short video discussing the facet of shame/vulnerability that had me in its grip.  (Aging & self image.)  Here’s the link, if you’re interested in seeing it.    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kuN8_sK9ONA

 

Sending you all lots of love and prayers that any shame or vulnerability that might be plaguing you (or even just troubling you a little bit) be lifted!