Yesterday I had the privilege of helping a friend prepare for her 40th birthday celebration with many friends and family. I have known her for twenty years. I say it was a privilege to help her celebrate because after such a long, winding, trying, difficult in spots road, our friendship is probably deeper than ever.
I truly value my friends. Some mean as much to me as my own family. Some have been in my life for twenty years. Some for much less time than that.
I was chatting last night with one of my newest friends about acceptance. He has not yet attained the great wisdom of 40 (only a little bit of sarcasm there), but he has learned something in his early 30's that my other 40 friend and I learned a bit later. Acceptance. He has tremendous peace in his heart and mind because he has greater acceptance of himself and others.
The discussion began when I started talking about being genuine as a person. People prefer others who are genuine instead of those trying desperately to be liked. It is much easier to be genuine when we accept ourselves as who we are. As I have mentioned in previous posts, grace and change are needed for each of us as we move forward in life. Yet right here, right now, do I accept who I am?
How can I change if I do not sit long enough to look at where I am? First I need to understand who I am and then think about where I want to go. I also believe we need to accept who we are today as a starting point. Am I who I want to be? Yes and no. Yet just because I am not entirely the person I want to be or at a place in life where I thought I would be does not mean I cannot accept where I am right now.
Life is always changing. It is unpredictable. It is uncertain. Maybe a little acceptance would make it a bit easier. I know I can certainly do with more acceptance of myself instead of being my own worst critic. Life is hard. Why not make it a wee bit easier with a little acceptance and the peace that follows?
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