Another TFTD (or two)

A part of really learning to live means learning to share ourselves with other people.

We learn to admit our mistakes and expose our imperfections - not so that others can fix us, rescue us, or feel sorry for us, but so we can love and accept ourselves.

This sharing is a catalyst in healing and changing.

Many of us are fearful of sharing our imperfections because that makes us vulnerable.

Some of us have tried being vulnerable in the past, and people tried to control, manipulate, or exploit us, or they made us feel ashamed.

Some of us have hurt ourselves by being vulnerable.

We may have shared things with people who didn't respect our confidence.

Or we may have told the wrong people at an inappropriate time, and scared them away.

We learn from our mistakes - and despite our mistakes, it is still a good thing to allow ourselves to be vulnerable and honest.

We can learn to choose safe people with whom to share ourselves.

We can learn to share appropriately, so we don't scare or push people away.

We can also learn to let others be vulnerable with us.

(I REALLY dislike that 'V' word, justsoyaknow....and I know that ya'll really wanted to know that....)

Choice of attention - to pay attention to this and ignore that - is to the inner life what choice of action is to the outer. In both cases, a man is responsible for his choice and must accept the consequences.--W. H. Auden

Let us think of ourselves as living in a house with many windows.

At each window is a different view, and within each view are many things to catch our attention.

Perhaps there are some people, some traffic, some buildings, a horizon, and some trees.

If we always go to the same window and focus on the same object, we are not using all our choices.

We may have overlooked some things in our lives that need attention.

There are many things we are totally powerless over.

Our power exists in changing the focus of our attention.