Unstuck

“We are not held back by the love we didn’t receive in the past, but by the love we’re not extending in the present.” – Marianne Williamson

I’ve felt a bit stuck lately. Nothing big or specific, more of a drag, a slight heaviness. This past week, it finally hit me. It was there the entire time. It just needed some time and quiet to reveal itself. How often we miss the obvious in front of us as we search frantically far off in the distance.

We all have triggers – those words, situations and people who set us off, who get to our core. They flip a switch deep down, bringing us back to those moments when we allowed someone to make us feel unworthy. I know my triggers well, understand them. And I finally figured out that a few people have been hitting on my triggers the past few months and I let them “flip my switch.” It’s funny how the past can show itself in the present. And as soon as I realized it, unstuck. Boom. Just like that.

Over time, if we are wise enough to learn the lessons, we understand ourselves better and are more forgiving of ourselves and others. We bounce back easier. We don’t get offended as much. And, hopefully, we offend less, understanding both the frailty and the strength of the human spirit.

As we become self-aware and confident, we can move off “me” and move into the world and our place and purpose in it. Our horizon expands, our lives grow richer and deeper. There’s so much to take in when we’re not reliving the past or pre-living the future. Black and white transforms to vivid color. Cold becomes warm. Hard, soft. Dark, light.

Stuck, unstuck.