Reacting Based on Half The Story

Through most of my adult life, I had a very challenging relationship with my mother. I held firm to my belief that she didn't really care about me or my feelings and I viewed every action and every inaction through that filter.  

In my quest to heal the past, I realized my relationship with my mother began to unravel when I was in high school and sadly it could have been prevented if more honesty had been present.

It all started on a holiday weekend when my boyfriend came over with a couple dozen roses for me and not only would I not touch the roses, I would barely speak to him. My mother grabbed me by the arm, squeezing it so tightly her fingernails left deep impressions in my skin. Pulling me to the other side of the kitchen, she sternly told me that I was being an ungrateful little shit and that I'd better pull myself together and start acting the way I had been raised to act when someone gives me a gift. 

I remember feeling utterly stunned. I felt betrayed by her. I felt that she was telling me that "being gracious" - even if it was fake - was more important than the truth of why I was acting that way or the depth of pain I was feeling inside. I decided that she didn't understand me or care about my feeling and from that moment on, those were the "glasses" I wore when it came to my mom. Everything she did or said was seen and judged from that perspective.

But the truth was, my mom didn't know WHY I was acting that way towards my boyfriend because I never told her. 

What she didn't know was that the day before, he and I had been with our two best friends "celebrating" the holiday weekend aka "doing some underage drinking." My boyfriend had way too much to drink and in his drunken stupor he had decided that he was tired of waiting for me to be ready for sex and he had attempted to rape me. If his best friend hadn't heard me screaming and come to my rescue, he likely would have been successful. His friend pulled him off me with such force, he slammed him up against the wall. Too scared to move, I remained where I was on the floor, huddled in the corner of the room, my heart pounding so hard I could hear it in my ears. My best friend rushed to my side, while his friend dragged him out of the room, berating him for what he had just done to me.

I hadn't even had a chance to start processing what had just happened when his best friend ran back into the room to tell us that my boyfriend had announced he was going to kill himself and took off in his car. I remember saying, "He's driving?" He was so drunk he could barely walk - I shuddered to think he was behind the wheel of a car. We all rushed out to the front yard but he (and the car) were nowhere in sight.

At that point the tears began flowing, although it was such a jumbled mixture of emotions, I felt like my head was going to explode. I just sat there on the front lawn and sobbed, my chest heaving up and down, sandwiched between his best friend and mine, with neither of them knowing how to help me in that moment. 

I felt angry and betrayed by him . . . I was afraid of him . . . I was scared to death that he was going to actually kill himself . . . . I worried that it would be my fault if he did. My sixteen year old self wasn't able to cope with all that had just happened. I needed him to come back and be ok and yet a part of me didn't want him to come back because he had broken my heart and my trust so deeply. Everything was swirling around so quickly inside of me, I was sure I would throw up.

He eventually came back - and while I was grateful he didn't kill himself - I think it was our relationship that had been killed that day. It was just never the same. The events that unfolded that day impacted me in more ways than I understood at the time and it took years for me to unravel the myriad of ways that one day had shaped my beliefs and my own behavior from that point forward. 

The next day, I chose to put most of the blame on my mother. I made her the "bad guy" in this because I thought she didn't care about what happened to me and how scared I was. In my mind, she was trying to force me to act in a way that was about "keeping up appearances" instead of showing me any compassion. My boyfriend claimed he had blacked out and didn't remember what had happened (which was entirely possible) so there was no way I could talk to him about it. Our friends didn't want to talk about it. I wasn't sure I could talk about it either. I think all of us wanted to pretend it hadn't occurred. 

I didn't tell my mom what happened and I blamed her for that too - justifying that she hadn't ASKED me what happened - which to me was proof that she didn't care. I further justified my silence by holding the assumptions that she wouldn't understand or that she wouldn't believe me or that she would think I was being overly dramatic about the whole thing or that I would get in trouble for drinking. And yes, I had good reasons for making those assumptions, but I never gave her the chance to prove me wrong because I was so set in my beliefs. I had found someone to blame - end of story.

But the truth was - SHE DIDN'T KNOW WHAT HAD HAPPENED. She didn't know the TRUTH because I didn't tell her. I didn't take responsibility for the fact that she didn't know. I was content to stick with my version of the story for decades - that my mom didn't care about my feelings. Sticking to my version of the truth kept me from having a better relationship with my mother - I see that and own that now.

So why am I recounting this highly dramatic event from my past today? Because it highlights what I see happening in our world right now. We are in an incredibly emotionally charged time and I see people doing the very same things . . . Can you see all the parallels?

- Blaming people for what they are doing/not doing without understanding the whole story.

- Reacting to things without having all the information. (and I say that without blame, it is not easy to access truthful information or to discern what IS true out of the sea of conflicting information out there) 

- Blaming / shaming people for not knowing the truth, when they haven't been told the truth or are unable to find it.

- Holding onto our beliefs (and our version of the story) so tightly that we can't see anything else.

- Deciding how people are going to react before they have a chance to show us anything different.

At this moment in time, so many of us are so caught up in the emotions that are surging forth that we often can't see outside of our own stories or see the bigger picture. If we continue on this path, the divide between us is going to get wider and wider. Our relationships with others might become so damaged they will be nearly impossible to heal. Our ability to come together to find resolutions could be greatly diminished. If we operate so heavily from a place of fear like that, we might even forget what it is like to feel love and joy.

So here is my challenge to you . . . would you be willing to do any of the following? 

- Listen to someone else's point of view with an ear towards where your beliefs might be in alignment instead of where they are different.

- Consider the possibility that we may be reacting to misinformation or "half of the story."

- Remember that we need many of the same things . . . to be heard, to be understood, to be supported.

- Offer compassion to others - whether we agree with them or not.

- Look inside and see where we can take some responsibility for what is occurring, instead of blaming others for what is happening.

- Be open to new information that may not line up with what we have always believed to be true.

- Ask ourselves: Do I want to know the truth? or do I want to be right? Would I rather live my life in fear? or from a place of love?

Furthermore - Can we consider the possibility that we have ALL been lied to about what is really happening in the world and that none of us know the full truth / the full story?

We can continue to believe "our side/story" is right and the "other side/story" is wrong if we want . . . but we just may find that both sides are equally flawed and equally complicit. Do you want to stay stuck in that place of separation?

I believe the time is upon us to make a change . . . to open our ears and open our hearts . . . to come together and unite - in peace and in love. We can change this world we live in if we choose to . . . one moment at a time . . . one day at a time. It truly is up to us. The question is: What are you going to choose? 

P.S.  For those of you who are concerned and/or feeling sorry for me,  please know that all is well. Gratefully my mom and I were able to reach a place of resolve and forgiveness before she passed away and my high school boyfriend and I are actually friends (with a lot of effort over the years to work through this and find forgiveness and peace.)  It is probably the reason why it was easy to share this story because we all managed to reach the "other side" of it - therefore it possible for it to be a "neutral example." 

What You Focus On Expands

I am a firm believer in the statement "What you focus on expands." It is a concept I taught when I was a corporate trainer and it is a concept that still plays a big role in the work that I do with energy. What we focus on - we see more of. What we focus on - we attract more of. Since everything is energy (including our thoughts), we draw more of that energy frequency to us - thus manifesting things that match that frequency.

If all of our attention is being placed on "what others are doing that we don't agree with" - guess what we are going to see more of? And guess what kind of things we are likely to experience in greater quantity? We're basically putting out a radio signal that says "Yes, more of this!" It's all energy . . . and it works like a magnet.

I'm not saying that frustrating things will never happen if we keep our thoughts positive enough - what I am saying is that we have a choice to STAY in that frequency when things frustrate us or we can shift into a different frequency. It is totally up to us.

Here's a simple, hopefully non-emotionally-charged example of this: Last week was Kino's birthday.  I had searched the local pet store's website looking for the perfect gift and I found what I was looking for - a plush toy that had multiple squeakers - and it happened to be on sale! The item was available for in-store pick up only but I was unable to put the item in my cart. When I called the store, the gal I spoke with said that happens when they don't have the item in stock. I asked if she thought they'd get anymore in and she wasn't sure when they would, so it was back to the drawing board for me.

Disappointed, I spent another long stretch of time searching for the right squeaky plush toy and I finally found one. I was able to make the purchase on line and since it was also an "in-store-pick up" item, I arranged to go on Kino's actual birthday to pick up his present.

Several days later, when the employee handed me the toy, I shook my head in disbelief. The toy wasn't anything like I expected. It was tiny - definitely not made for a large breed dog - and the material felt scratchy instead of plush. On top of that, only one of the squeakers worked. I said "Oh crud, this isn't going to work for my dog." Fortunately for me, he said that if I wanted to I could go inside and return it and pick out something else.

Wandering up and down the aisles, I became aware of my frequency and how it was dipping because I was focusing on how bummed I was . . . the disappointment over the toy not meeting my expectations, my frustration that I couldn't find something cost effective that Kino would like, my agitation over my inability to breath with a mask on, etc. Stopping myself, I knew I could shift my energy if I wanted to so I came up with a few new things to think about . . . how glad I was that I was able to come into the store to pick something else out, how much I looked forward to the joy Kino would experience when he got his present, etc.

Even with that in mind, I wasn't finding anything that met Kino's needs. I had been up and down the aisle where all the plush toys were several times and I didn't see anything that would squeak enough to make it a great birthday. I wondered if I should get him some treats instead so I walked over to that aisle to see what options they had for a dog with extreme food allergies and there it was . . . the original toy I had wanted to purchase on-line. The super soft plush toy whose legs squeaked - yep - all four of the legs make noise! I couldn't believe my luck!

It was upside down on top of a bunch of chew bones. It had a snag in the material but I knew Kino wouldn't care. I was so excited! The toy didn't have a tag on it so I asked an employee if she could check the price for me. She was super friendly and when she returned, she informed me that the toy was $2.50. I couldn't believe it! That was an even better price than they had listed on line and it was less expensive than the tiny toy I was returning!

Just as I expected, Kino was over the moon when he opened his present, as demonstrated by the cacophony of squeaks that filled the house for the rest of the day and the way he pranced around the house with his toy. Here's a picture of Kino with his toy in one of the rare moments that he actually set it down that day.

I write this post today as a gentle reminder that we really DO get to choose what we focus on (which will draw in experiences that match that frequency).

When you notice yourself focusing on the negative - you can keep focusing on that if you want. You also have the option to shift your focus to something else if you choose.

So ask yourself . . . do you want to keeping focusing on how mad it makes you when people don't follow the rules you think they should follow? or share the same beliefs as you? That is absolutely your right if that's what you'd like to do.

You can also put your attention on the things you DO have control over if you'd like to do that. That gives out a different frequency and you'll draw in more of that.

Heck, you can even focus on things from your heart if you choose (i.e. seeing people and situations from a place of compassion and understanding, noticing things that make you happy or things you feel grateful for).

You can do whatever you want to do. The important thing to remember is that YOU get to choose what you focus on. What you draw into your reality will match that energy frequency.

Empaths and HSPs Are Similar But Not the Same

Recently a friend of mine asked me what the difference between HSPs (highly sensitive person) and Empaths was. The lines are so blurred that people often use the terms interchangeably when in fact they are two very different things. Almost every article you find written about Empaths are actually describing HSP's so it's no wonder people are confused.

The complication arises in part because most people who are Empaths are also HSP's. Current research shows that HSP's make up about 10-15 percent of the world population, while Empaths are only about 3-5 percent of the world population (with Empaths typically considered a subset of HSP's so most Empaths are also HSP).

To me, the main difference is that HSPs are just that - Highly sensitive. They are sensitive to sound and smells i.e. they more likely to be bothered by a piece of equipment that is buzzing, while others may not even notice the sound. They are sensitive to the feelings of others i.e. when they see someone cry, they can't help but tear up also. I also see HSP's (myself included) as hyper-alert beings who are acutely aware of their surroundings.

Empaths are typically all of that AND they are sensitive to energy. They feel energy in a way that most people can't quite comprehend. We literally feel the energy of others inside our bodies as if it is our own. Therefore, if we are sitting next to someone who has knee pain, we will feel pain in our knee too. And if we are around people who are sad or angry, we will feel sad and angry too (and not always realized that the sadness and anger belongs to someone else).

So why it is important to make a distinction?  Mainly because the tools and techniques needed to thrive as an Empath (transmuting and clearing energy) are not the same ones you need to thrive as an HSP.  Many Empaths struggle because the information being shared doesn't always help if you are an Empath (although it will help if you are an HSP).

Why am I sharing this information now? Because being an empath has never been more challenging or more "work" than it is right now. Empaths FEEL energy - and they feel it inside their bodies - so whatever the people around them are feeling (physically and emotionally) - whatever people in the collective are feeling - they are feeling too. If an empath assumes everything they are feeling is theirs, they are likely struggling right now - and have for months - with all the fear being generated in the collective as well as the anger and confusion people are experiencing. The more we are able to transmute and clear energy from our body and our energy field that isn't ours, the more we are able to come into our hearts and find center and consequently the easier time we'll have navigating this time of upheaval on our planet.

It is imperative that Empaths take care of themselves right now - in a manner and to a degree that most people will not understand - and that's ok. If the statistics are correct, only 3-5% of the population is going to relate to how we feel anyway so we need to take care of ourselves, regardless of whether or not the people around us understand.

If you are interested in reading more about the difference between HSPs and Empaths, I suggest checking out this link:

https://thehappysensitive.com/being-empathic-versus-being-empath-crucial-differences/

It is one of the best articles I have seen on the topic. It was written by Caroline Van Kimmenade.  Her website is thehappysensitive.com and she's got a lot of good information on there if you have some time to explore it.

In the meantime, if you are an Empath . . . be kind to yourself, be gentle with yourself, devote as much time and attention to self-care as you can, sleep as much as your body needs you to, cut yourself slack if your emotions are all over the place from one minute to the next. Find ways to come back to yourself and your heart as frequently as you can. There has never been this much dense energy rising to the surface, so we've never had to be quite this diligent about transmuting / clearing energy and finding center again.

Someday soon we will see why our role here has been so important (if you don't know it already). I know sometimes it feels like it is never ending . . . and there may be moments (and even hours or days) right now where you might wish you weren't an Empath because it has been a LOT of work lately but hang in there. The world needs all of us right now. The world needs us to be in our hearts as much as possible and to hold space as strongly as we can, while the world spins through all of this chaos.

More On The Elephant In The Dark

I've had a few people ask me for an example of what I described in my last post (The Elephant in the Dark), where blind people who had never seen an elephant before touched different parts of the elephant and determined "what an elephant looks like" based on the part they were touching.

The story goes on to say that they were so frustrated by what others were saying they began to fight with one another. I asked folks to consider that maybe everyone was right based on what information and experience they had with the "part of the elephant" they were touching.

One of the "hot topics" in my neighborhood is chemtrails/contrails. Those of us who have expressed concern about them have been called Conspiracy theorists and idiots. (yes, I'm one of "them" although I prefer the term Advocate for Truth)  :-)  but what if everyone who was passionate about the topic was actually RIGHT based on the information they had?

- What if the people who say they are harmless contrails, created by vapor and steam and altitude and humidity levels are correct . . . that many times they are exactly that and that there IS scientific proof to back that up.

- What if the pilots who said there is no "button" in the cockpits to spew chemicals out of the plane are right . . . that no plane they have ever flown in was equipped with such a "button".

- What if the people who say chemicals ARE being spewed out into the skies are right, that is does in fact happen, although not from every plane.

- What if the people who say they see the weather change (i.e. the sun is suddenly obscured by clouds that weren't there 20 min. before the "trails" started showing up) are correct and that it in fact does happen.

- What if the people who experience a flare up of health issue after the sky has been covered in these "trails" whether it's asthma or fibromyalgia or gastrointestinal problems are correct as well. What if the connection really is there and not "anecdotal" as is often said.

- What if the people who say the chemtrails are filled with metals so that it's easier for mind control to be used on people are correct as well. I know, not a thought most people want to consider but what if it were actually true? Wouldn't you want to know?

What if every single person is correct?  What would happen if we accepted that all the other people were also correct and start looking at the issue together? What if, rather than putting our energy into name calling and berating others for what they believe (based on what each has learned and experienced), we began looking at how all the pieces of the puzzle (or the elephant) fit together, how we might ALL be holding a piece of the truth?

Isn't it possible, that like the elephant, the gigantic thick legs could actually be on the same animals as the tiny thin tail?

Since some people may not know what I am even talking about, here are some pictures. This is often what our skies look like where I live.  (Do these look like normal flight patterns?)  This picture was taken in May of 2020.  Even though planes fly over head every day of the week, the skies don't always look like this so clearly, they aren't created by every plane.

This criss-cross pattern showed up over my house a week or so ago:

 About 20 minutes later, this is what it looked like over my house (and there was still blue sky at the coast so it wasn't a case of fog suddenly rolling in):

Just putting it out there to consider. What would it mean if all the different strong opinions actually held some truth? and what if we worked WITH each other instead of AGAINST each other to figure out what was really going on?  

The Elephant In The Dark Parable

Many many years ago, I was told a story about people who had never seen or heard of an elephant before.  From what I could recall, when they finally came in contact with one, they were blind-folded and based on what part of the elephant they were touching, they each developed their own strong belief about what an elephant was.

I couldn't remember where I heard the story or what all the particulars were . . . what I DO know is that it has been popping into my head a lot lately so I tried looking for the story and I found that it was based on a book called "The Elephant In The Dark" written by Idries Shah (and like any good game of "telephone" I had some of the details wrong . . . i.e. the men were blind, not blind-folded) but the basic premise of the story was accurate.  Here is a summary written about the book:

A group of blind men heard that a strange animal, called an elephant, had been brought to the town, but none of them were aware of its shape and form. Out of curiosity, they said: "We must inspect and know it by touch, of which we are capable". So, they sought it out, and when they found it they groped about it. 

In the case of the first person, whose hand landed on the trunk, said "This being is like a thick snake". 
For another one whose hand reached its ear, it seemed like a kind of fan. 
As for another person, whose hand was upon its leg, said, the elephant is a pillar like a tree-trunk. 
The blind man who placed his hand upon its side said the elephant, "is a wall". 
Another who felt its tail, described it as a rope. 
The last felt its tusk, stating the elephant is that which is hard, smooth and like a spear.

The blind men discover their disagreements, assume others are lying, come to blows. 


I can see why this story keeps coming into my mind, as it seems to be a good depiction of what is playing out in our world right now. I see people passionately holding on to certain beliefs based on what they believe to be true (what part of the elephant they are touching) . . . and I see people coming to blows over what other people are saying because based on what THEY believe, certainly the other people must be lying (or they are conspiracy theorists or idiots).  :-)

What we aren't considering is that maybe it's ALL true. Maybe because we are only looking at one piece of the pie (or elephant) and because we aren't seeing the big picture (the whole elephant), we aren't able to see that each of us is holding a piece of the truth.

Maybe what we see feels like the truth because it is based on what we have learned, what we have experienced, what we have been exposed to.  Maybe it's not that we're "blind" but because we're wearing different glasses, with different prescriptions (or filters), we are seeing something different.

So here is something to consider . . . What if we are ALL correct? What if all of us are touching the elephant but the elephant is so big that we can only understand the part of the elephant that is right in front of us?

How much unity might we be able to create if we considered that we are "right" and so are the other people whose views we are fighting against? Sit with that a moment . . .

Where Is The Truth?

When I got on the computer yesterday to check email, a headline caught my eye . . . It said "California county opens up, then closes again."  I was curious to know which county in my state they were writing about so I clicked on the article and saw that it was Lassen County.  I normally don't read articles because there tends to be more "spin" than "truth" in most of what the media puts out, but given that an old boyfriend of mine grew up in Lassen county, I decided to give it a read. I figured I could do a little fact checking with him if I wanted to, since some of his family members still live there.

The article states that they had to reverse their course because of an outbreak of Covid-19 cases. (4 people tested positive after having no confirmed cases for the last 3 months). The county's public health officer is quoted: "Unfortunately, this did happen and now we have a serious problem." They plan to use "contact tracing investigations" to track the outbreak.

I clicked on the comments to see how people were reacting - not something I normally do because comments on most article are typically anything but nice and/or helpful - but I went for it and the first comment I saw was from someone who stated that they live in Lassen county so I was interested to see what they had to say.

Here is the information they shared:
- Initially they weren't doing testing in their county and were sending people out of county to get tested
- They didn't show any local cases until the state came in and began testing within their county
- They only followed the SIP regulations for about 2 weeks, after that most people went back to business as usual. Masks were and still are optional.
- Restaurants opened to inside dining before it was officially "allowed"
- Rallys were held while the rest of California was still under SIP orders

So, where's the truth in this?

How did the county realize they "opened too soon" if they never really shut down?

How does anyone know how many cases there have been if they weren't doing testing there at all for several months?

Were people sick and got better? The article only states that "now we have a serious problem" because 4 people tested positive. But is that really a serious problem? Or is someone trying to create some "fear" to support the idea that we need to stay in lockdown?

Would it be normal for 4 people to get sick with the regular flu?  If so, why is this being used as an example of "we opened too quickly, now we need to shut it all down again"?

I have no idea who is right. The author of the article? The commenter who lives in Lassen county? Does the truth lie somewhere in between? Maybe none of it is the truth?  How will we ever know?

I am pointing out inconsistencies in ONE article about Covid-19 . . . When you think about the number of articles that are published every single day by our media, just how much disinformation is being put out there?  It really concerns me.

I wasn't clear on what "contact tracing" was so I decided to look at the CDC website.  What I read made me shudder.

The first line says:

• Contact tracing will be conducted for close contacts (any individual within 6 feet of an infected person for at least 15 minutes) of laboratory-confirmed or probable COVID-19 patients.

So if someone tests positive OR they are a probable Covid-19 case, they will interview everyone who stood within 6 feet of the infected person for 15 minutes?  How will the government employee get the information to "interview" all those people?  Will the "infected person" be required to turn all that information over? The CDC guidelines seem to clearly allow this to be done, whether it is laboratory-confirmed or "probable." Does that sound ok to you?

If I am reading this correctly, it seems to be saying that if someone deems you a "probable Covid-19 patient without laboratory-confirmation, they can make you give them the contact information for everyone who stood within 6 feet of you for 15 minutes? And if so, do you really want to share that kind of information with the government? What if you were in line to get into a store? (or went to multiple stores?) How will they find out who stood in front of you or behind you in line?

I also notice that no where on the CDC site (in the "contact tracing" section) do they mention masks.  So if someone stood within 6 feet of you - it doesn't matter if they were wearing a mask or not? If so, why are we being forced to wear masks? And why do they want us to believe they are doing any good?

If a mask really makes a difference, wouldn't the CDC guideline that I pasted above (directly from their website) specify that they are referring to "any NON-MASKED individual within 6 feet of an infected person for at least 15 minutes"?

It seems the CDC is actually telling us that masks don't do anything to protect us if they are still going to "trace" any individual whether they were wearing a mask or not. Think about that for a minute. Am I the only one whose head is spinning over the confusing and misleading information that we are getting from the CDC?

Then I read on the CDC site:

For COVID-19, a close contact is defined as any individual who was within 6 feet of an infected person for at least 15 minutes starting from 48 hours before illness onset (or, for asymptomatic patients, 10 days prior to positive specimen collection) until the time the patient is isolated.

So you need to turn over a list of names/numbers that include anyone you were in contact with for 48 hours before the onset of illness? and if you have NOT SHOWN ANY SYMPTOMS (which is what asymptomatic means), you need to go back 10 days?

Does that make any sense?

I swear I am not making this up.  I am pulling this straight from the CDC official website.

I am not telling you what to think. We all need to do our own research and form our own opinions. Honestly, I AM hoping that reading what I have written will make YOU want to ask more questions.

I am trying to point out that what we are being told doesn't appear to be anywhere near "truth." It is making me wonder what is really going on here?

Why do they want to keep us in lock down?  Why do they want us to stay in fear? As I have written about previously, why do they want us to think the numbers are higher than they actually are? And why do they want us to keep wearing masks if wearing a mask doesn't seem to matter according to their "contact tracing guidelines?" What is the real purpose of the "contact tracing?"

We have got to start asking "What is really going on here?" because my sense is that whatever it is, it is likely bigger and scarier than whatever this "virus" is. It's up to each one of us to look into this further and not just accept what we are being told. It is up to each one of us to decide if we want to stay in fear or if we'd rather find out what the truth really is.

Can We Handle The Truth?

Lately, I've been observing how much resistance there is to people hearing anything that doesn't match their current beliefs. I see people lashing out at the person who has attempted to shine the light on something, whether it is a concern about increasing government restrictions and the motivation behind them or the chemtrails blanketing our skies. They react by ridiculing the person or flat out bullying them with negative comments, labeling them with harsh things like "idiots, conspiracy theorists, fear mongerers" etc. or demanding that they "prove that with irrefutable scientific evidence."

As someone who has been on the receiving end of it, as well as a witness to it happening to others, it can be incredibly disheartening when you see how downright ugly we can be to others when we are presented with something that we are not ready to consider. It seems that the more we don't want to believe something is true, the more resistant we can be to it. Why we are so afraid to open up to the possibility that we may not know the truth about everything?

Seeing someone or something that we have believed in or felt was a trusted authority crumble before our eyes can be difficult to wrap our brains around. I get it. I have experienced this myself, many times, when someone I looked up to fell off the pedestal I had put them on. I didn't want to see it at first - I just didn't want to believe that the "truth" that was being shown to me could be possible.

There's that feeling of overwhelm that comes with it, the fear that everything we thought was true is going to come crashing down around us if we accept this new information. And yet, it can be much harder on us when we continue to resist the truth.

Over the years, I have come across a lot more information that I didn't want to believe at first. Even though it often initially had me reeling, I learned to just sit with it. I learned to wait and see if more information on the topic came across my path in the coming weeks and months. I learned to keep my eyes and my mind open so that if more information DID come along that either confirmed or refuted what I had read before, I would see it.

I know that the only thing we can truly control is ourselves . . . our reactions to things . . . so to me, that's usually a good place to start. When someone says something that riles us up, rather than lashing out at that person, maybe we can stop and ask ourselves "Why is that bothering me so much?"

Is it possible the person is sharing information that you just don't WANT to believe? What if what was being shared WAS true? What would it mean to us and our life? Would we be able to continue living as we assimilated that new information? or would our world truly fall apart if we accepted a new "truth" into our reality?

If you still think the person is an idiot or a conspiracy theorist, can you keep that to yourself rather than publicly slamming the person with those labels? Can you just file it away and be open to the fact that everyone has a right to believe what they believe? Can you maybe even consider the possibility that there might be some truth in what they shared?

Sometimes new information forces us to let go of some of our old beliefs. That isn't always a bad thing. Decades ago, I was given the opportunity to learn that doctors don't always have all the answers. Does that mean I think all doctors are bad? Not at all. It just means that I don't expect them to be perfect anymore. And it means that I do a lot of my own research instead of relying solely on their knowledge and opinions. Was it disappointing at the time? You bet it was . . . and yet I can also see how it helped empower me . . . how it helped me build trust in myself and my own knowing. Ultimately, some good came out of the situation.

I keep having this very strong feeling that many of the things that have been "hidden" from us for decades (and centuries) are going to start coming out . . . that we are going to be told things we don't really want to know or shown things that we won't want to accept. It seems like now is a pretty good time to prepare for it, to look at ourselves and see how we react and respond to information that is outside our comfort zone or outside of our "reality bubble" . . . and I think it will really help us to look for ways to process new information that we might not initially be comfortable with.

I think our current "reality bubbles" are going to be popped - one by one - and whether that is a horrible experience or an experience that ultimately allows us to begin spreading our wings will be entirely up to us.