As my years are folding one into the other, I have come to the immutable fact that there really are no outside rules in life that can guide me. I must come to my own set of inner principles. I must consciously put myself and my truths out there. So these are the “rules” that I must live by–at least for this day.
• Don’t take myself too seriously. Don’t take you too seriously, either. Living is a heart-explosion game at best and a painful confusion at worst. We are all in the midst of changing and becoming at all times. To keep a sense of humor and a lightness of soul is terribly important.
• Stay where my feet are. This means I stay in the present, in this precise moment in time. For it is only in the place where I am standing that life can happen. If my head is tearing into the future or my heart is broken over the past, I am missing what is happening right in front of me.
• Be honest with myself in all things. Be honest with you unless the truth is really none of my business. I must claim my truth–what is going on with me–at all times. I must look clear-eyed and ruthlessly at the how and the why of my behavior. I shall tell you the truth about you only where it is important for our relationship or your safety.
• Claim my mistakes. “Yup! I screwed up. What can I learn from this dealy-do and let’s move on.” By acknowledging my humanity, I can change my behavior. By denying it, I continue in the fault. And, I lose a chance to create a better me.
• Know that compassion is love in action. “Love” is a great word, but the working side of it is having understanding and empathy for others. I must let go the leash of my judgment and hurt feelings, because I am not that important and our shared humanity is.
• Extend my hand and heart to another always. Living is a we thing. Without you, my mecannot grow and change. An open heart and hand makes living a wonderful adventure as we stumble and laugh through it together.
• Look life straight in the eye with my head high and my smile wide. This one means I shall not bow my head to anyone nor ride on my pride. I will meet you toe to toe and walk into life with a courage born of experience.
• Bring my soul openly to all that I do by being courageous in my vulnerability. I no longer fear your seeing my scarred humanity. It is the biggest gift I have to share. If you fear sharing yours, my hand is yours to hold.
There you have them. These are my there-ain’t-no-rules rules. I would love to hear about yours. Please share them with me at info@insightsonaging.com.
Tags: ain't no rules, compassion, courage, happiness, i screwed up!, pride, robin korth, self-honesty, take life too seriously
This entry was posted on Wednesday, January 4th, 2012 at 12:58 pm and is filed under IOA Stories, Newsletter, Robin's Insights. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
