Response Ability. My response is my responsibility.
I found these words in an old journal yesterday and made them into this image to post on social media, little realizing the irony of my actions.
This is the message my spirit has been trying to send me lately, in numerous varied ways.
I thought it was an important message for someone else, but surely not me, because of course I have it all together. Hahahaha. (That’s spirit laughing with me.)
It’s more than a little annoying when the pithy saying you pulled from your journal stomps it’s foot and says “Nope. You don’t get it. This isn’t a message for someone else. It’s a message for you.”
But I don’t WANT that message. I’m on a writing retreat, so I don’t want to think about that thing that makes me bitter and resentful. I don’t want to confront the fact that my response has been anger, and I’m responsible for how it makes me feel.
I just want to sit in nature and meditate and write inspirational messages that will assure people that I’ve got it all figured out. Hahahaha. (There’s spirit laughing again. She’s so funny.)
The beautiful, annoying truth is that, if you ask and listen, spirit will help you discover exactly what you need. If you ignore a message because the timing is not convenient, or you don’t particularly like the answer, the message will be repeated. Over and over, in different ways, until you listen.
“Fine. Ruin my retreat,” I said to spirit. “I’ll dive into the darkness.” (See how that anger even seeped into my relationship with spirit? It’s insidious.)
I spent the day journaling, diving into the deep underbelly of emotions. I wrote until I saw light between the words, and my heart started feeling less heavy. I began to see the issue in a different way, as a gift. By the time the sun set, my response had shifted from win-lose to win-win. My response had shifted toward love.
The situation itself is still the same, but something inside me shifted and I can see it differently.
So here’s this inspirational saying: Your response is your responsibility. I tested it. It’s true, even if you’d rather not admit it.
If you saw this as a message from spirit, you might as well get out your journal and dive in to the hard stuff, because spirit’s not likely to let go until you’ve taken responsibility for your response.
In the end, I’m grateful. Spirit was right. There was no better way to spend my day. It’s exactly what I needed, and my response now feels more aligned with the truth of my soul.
I wish the same for you.