Where to Begin?

Being one of those “touchy, feeling kids” , I was more struck by the 5th definition than the ones relating to artifacts of historical accuracy.  I thought about what was my ‘real’ self.  Did it exist? Was I a fake? Did I live out of obligation of all the expectations of others.   Of course, boys, sports and other interests soon took over.  I tucked these thoughts away for a few years more!

Much later, I came upon a poem by Virginia Satir.  Her words resonated!  Her poems encouraged and motivated me to breathe deeper into my own nature.  I felt comforted.  There was such great potential locked within all of us.  I hope these words inspire you too!

My body, my feelings, my mouth, my voice, all my actions,
Whether they be to others or to myself – I own my fantasies,
My dreams, my hopes, my fears – I own all my triumphs and
Successes, all my failures and mistakes

Because I own all of me, I can become intimately acquainted with me – by so doing
I can love me and be friendly with me in all my parts – I know
There are aspects about myself that puzzle me, and other
Aspects that I do not know – but as long as I am
Friendly and loving to myself, I can courageously
And hopefully look for solutions to the puzzles
And for ways to find out more about me
However I look and sound, whatever I say and do, and whatever
I think and feel at a given moment in time is authentically
Me – If later some parts of how I looked, sounded, thought
And felt turn out to be unfitting, I can discard that which is
Unfitting, keep the rest, and invent something new for that
Which I discarded – I can see, hear, feel, think, say, and do

I have the tools to survive, to be close to others, to be
Productive to make sense and order out of the world of
People and things outside of me – I own me, and
therefore I can engineer me – I am me and I AM OKAY

Poem by Virginia Satir