The more you depend on forces outside yourself, the more you are dominated by them.
— Harold Sherman
When I work with people in assisted-living facilities, I ask them to draw a picture of themselves today and twenty-five years ago. I almost always get a picture of a fat, unhappy person now and a slim, smiling one of earlier days.
The truth is that everyone, regardless of their age, tends to draw the same two pictures. I can recall looking at old home movies of our family and being amazed that I didn’t look as bad as I remembered. Everyone else looked good too. I rarely find an individual who appreciates herself as she is now and as she was then.
Most of us get caught up in our form and appearance and spend a great deal of time and money to make ourselves look younger and more attractive. We are critical of the form that appears in the mirror, but within that human form lies something more, our essence. It is only when we see the beauty within that we come to know our true selves. When we realize that our essence is divine, we will see beauty wherever we look.
Although both are components of the same physical entity, form and essence are two very different things. Our form is a gift that allows us to manifest our essence. We need our body and all its problems to carry out the work of the divine. When our focus is constantly aimed at our outer world, it prevents us from spending our time cultivating that which nurtures our essence.
Honor your total self. Life becomes meaningful and your purpose more clear when you come from a place of wholeness. Notice how much time you spend doing things that support your essence.
Peace,
~ Bernie
