We Need Therapy, Seriously

May is designated as Mental Health Month, and if you haven't considered it before now, this is the perfect time to choose to springboard your way to getting your head (and heart) squared away. I posit the bold opinion that the United States of America, collectively, needs therapy. The current mess that is the presidential election campaign of 2016 has demonstrated quite clearly that the 'U' in USA is a misnomer and perhaps for the sake of truth in labeling, should be replaced with an 'S', for Schismed because we sure as hell aren't trying to come together and personify an entity that can factually be called united. It has become far too easy for people to evoke the name of Hitler these days when hurling insults, but I'm not trying to hurl insults, just sharing a thought worthy of consideration: When a person who is a legend in his/her own mind is given a platform to light and stoke fires that speak to the basest of human desires and ideas and the fears that are buried just beneath the surface, and those desires and fears are fanned into a roaring fire which spreads uncontained, you can see how Nazism became the rule of the day in Europe. It wasn't that Adolf Hitler was such a great person -- it's that he tapped into the worst thoughts of the human being and fanned those sparks into an all-consuming flame; and that's when it became okay to personify evil. It happened before...and it can happen again. Each of us has learned to embrace some smelly thoughts, even if we've kept them under wraps for the most part. I say that we learned to embrace ugly thoughts because only brand new babies are untainted with the sense and fear of otherness. That choice to keep undesirable thoughts under wraps comes from a deep knowing that stinkin' thinkin' is not the best of who we are or were meant to be. You or I might not be the smartest, funniest, most attractive, etc., in the room, but there's no reason for either of us to fear the person who does embody the traits or characteristics that we might be without, because God has imbued each person with their own individual gifts. So we need to work on tamping down that fear...there is enough for us all. Abundance abounds. And YOU are enough. Additionally, tearing someone else down doesn't build you up. No, it actually decreases your stature, even to yourself if you're honest. A good mnemonic for fear is: False Evidence Appearing Real. I began this piece by saying that we need therapy, and we do, so that we can come to terms with the real deal of who we truly are as individuals and realize that one plus one can indeed equal three, four, five, six, ad infinitum; because when we grow together, we do so exponentially. Peace and love.

Reality

As I drifted into sleep/ I looked into the distance which became a forest/ And I beheld myself as a tree// Actually, a sapling was I, with crooked spindly branches/ I observed the wonderfully strong verdancy around me and it was beautiful/ I was not/ So I was ashamed, and it showed in the way my trunk began to hunch and my branches became even more crooked// Then something from deep memory, of those who came before me whispered my name and reminded me of the inherent strength of my kind/ And I felt myself grow, stretch and strengthen/ Bright and lovely leaves appeared and actually smiled as they shimmered in the breeze// Before sleep overtook me, I came to know that the real me stands as tall as the majestic tree.

Loving Is All, But Can Be So Hard

Have you ever really thought about Love, and what it truly is; what it truly means to love? Yes, it's a heart thing, but I also believe that agape (ah-gop-ay) love is a heart and head thing; at least in the beginning. I believe that because we find some people to be just plain ol' unlovable, no matter how we try to flip it. That's where the head part comes in; because we want to always be loving individuals; nice girls and guys who wouldn't hurt a fly. But. You see the blowhard who you can just picture being stuffed down a toilet (by you), and that love just ain't there in your heart. You wrestle and struggle, saying 'Come on, Heart, don't fail me now.' Heart ain't havin' it. Nope, don't want to attend this party. Engage head...'Okay, I see blowhard and I must work at it, but I can handle it and have love.' It might take more than a minute, but hang on in there for your sake and the sake of humanity. Agape love is a beautiful thing, but it takes practice because it's pure, untainted love. You're wondering right about now if I could have love for someone who committed unspeakable acts against me and mine, aren't you? The answer is that I would have to work like Paul Bunyan and his ox, Blue, and it just might take me years, but I wouldn't give up on myself because I want Peace in my life/soul/spirit. I don't want to drag around chains like Jacob Marley ('A Christmas Carol'). It's easy to love those who are good to you, and that's a wonderful thing. We all need wonderful in our lives; but Life ain't easy, Baby. It's tender, then it can be crushing; joyful, and despairing; uplifting, dragging you down to the pits. In those negative times, love is the last thing on your mind; but you can train yourself to let it be the second or third thing on your mind. This time, the one you are loving is YOURSELF. We sometimes forget about ourselves because we're so focused outward; and truth to tell, we sometimes think that we are undeserving or unworthy of showering ourselves with compassion and love. But. I believe that when you love you, it's so much easier to love others. So as the song says...'Let a little love in your heart.' And I say...remember to also use your head, as needed. Peace, Blessings, and Love