Dancing to the music

We rarely hear the inner music

But we are all dancing to it nevertheless

                                           Rumi

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So much goes on in our heads that we do not hear

Those things

Taught to us when we are young

By the people in our lives

Parents, teachers, religious leaders

Lessons learned

About who we are

And what we are to do

About what is valuable

And what is to be feared

These thoughts have been there for so long

Running rampant through your minds

Barely noticed

But driving our behavior

Our moods

Our sense of self

They have been there so long

The appear so often

We do not see them any more

You must do this, do that,

Be this, be that,

You are smart

Or stupid

You are not enough

You should, you must, you ought

They shape us profoundly

And they have all the power

As long as we let them

But we have a choice!

We can choose what drives our lives

We can step away from the brain

We can notice

What we have picked up

What we are carrying

That doesn’t work

And we can choose

Not to grab hold of them

We can choose, to let them go

Going, going

Gone

Oh, yes, they try to come back

But we can notice them, sneaking back in,

And let them go

And then, unburdened, by what does not work

Our dance will change

And we will be free

To be our created, our true selves

And we will be free

To do what we care about

What do I value?

Love

I can be free to love

Kindness

I can be free to be kind

Nurture

I can be free to lift another up

No longer burdened

By those thoughts that create fear

And need

It matters what we choose to grasp

I matters where we choose to put our energy!

What I am going to do

Today

Yes, today, this day

That will help me be a positive presence

In the lives of those around me?

I think I will start with a walk!