Dancing Through Cancer; She is Illuminated

Why are we so often our own worst critics? It can be scary how I can be so cruel to myself and yet, I would never imagine speaking to a friend or even a stranger in that way. There are times where my own criticism is so harsh that it is shocking. It makes me wonder who else is walking around with an internal dialogue like my own. If we are all in this place of self-loathing no wonder we are so tough on each other, we are even worse to ourselves! Luckily, it is few and far between with the negative self-talk, although it still creeps up. There was a time when it was all I heard. That inner voice was constantly beating me down, and I know I am not alone. With teenagers committing suicide at such young ages, eating disorder epidemics, all the overly obsessed workaholics and the drug addicts, I know that there are people suffering with an internal disease of self-loathing and fear. In a world that is so outwardly driven by appearance and THINGS, the pressure can be overwhelming. Think...

We live in a harsh world. Let’s just put it out there. This statement is not made in angst or “woe is me”, but factual. From the earliest stages it is competitive, it has expectations, and therefore you can be a disappointment before you are even born.   We start playing games not just for fun but to find a winner. There’s always that superior pinata batter, spelling bee player, or Ivy League graduate. It never really ends. We compete to find a spouse (seriously, have you “dated” lately, it is a competition-with a lot of F’s), to have the best position at the best job, and we won't get started on our appearance. With all these expectations and needs, we can easily forget the purpose of it all. To enjoy our time here! This life goes by faster than we think. Each day is literally a gift, a blessing that we can spend on this earth with all its amazing beauty. But it is so easy to miss it all. I can easily get so wrapped up in stresses of what needs to be done and all of my “plans” tha...