I have struggled with ill health and some type of physical symptom for most of my life, but have always had the mindset that whatever I was dealing with was temporary and I would be able to find a way to move past it. This attitude has served me well throughout my healing journey. It also created a thought process that refused to accept or honor any limitations, and I approached these symptoms as "the enemy" and battled to overcome them.

In recent years I have come to understand that there are times that no matter how positive you think or what you do...there are circumstances which you can't control...and the more you fight them, the greater the hold they have over you, and the worse things can become. I have finally realized that there is a way to keep your focus on the positive, and yet be accepting of the fact that you have to honor your limitations.

An example for me is the holiday season - I love decorating my home to the max...and every year because I can be extremely sensitive, we bring out all of the old (and often add lots of new) decorations, and usually within a day or two I can feel my body struggling. I would then start telling myself, "this is ridiculous...I am strong and I should be able to adjust and tolerate all of this stuff" and so I would leave it out and keep telling myself that my body is strong enough to handle it. But inevitably I would wind up in a downward spiral, and weakened to the point where I struggle for months afterwards.

This year I have finally decided to honor the message my body has been sending me for years - it is too overwhelming to expose myself to so many new and old things that are brought into the house at one time. So this year we purchased some holiday plants, and just a few decorations - introducing them one at a time to make sure they don't bother my sensitivities. Not only am I feeling fine, but I am so glad that I am able to enjoy the beauty of the season.

Do I like seeing myself as a sensitive being? No, I don't. Do I want to even acknowledge that I have limitations in my life? I sure don't. But the reality is I may be sensitive, but if I honor and respect my limitations, I can also hold on to the knowing that I am doing all I can to become the strong, healthy, and limitless being that it is my dream to be. ~ Andrea :-)

I admit it - I am probably too attached to the "finer things in life". I never seem to have enough clothes...shoes and handbags, too! And oh how I love to redecorate - new furniture, throw pillows and area rugs. Jewelry, books, art and plants - I love buying for myself and for others.

But I realized as we sat around the table enjoying our Thanksgiving dinner that what brought joy to my heart was not the new dishes or the furnishings we were surrounded by, or even the vast array of delicious food. What filled my soul was the love, laughter, and caring of family and friends.

As I sit here now and recall other events that are special to me, I can't tell you what I wore, or what the surroundings were like...but I do remember the smiles, the sense of connection, and the people who were there sharing the moment with me.

I imagine I will always have an appreciation for nice things, but I also know that what is truly precious to me comes without a price tag.

~ Andrea :-)

I admit it - I've always been a bit vain. Appearance has always been important to me - not only mine, but I often judged others by how they looked, too. As I've aged I have come to the realization that if you can't accept imperfection, life can be pretty miserable.

For me it started with glasses - depending on them more and more each year...then the wrinkles, which seem to get a bit deeper and show up in places that I didn't even know they could! Then things begin shifting in a more southerly directions...and the brain, well let's just say all of that vast wealth of information stored in there has a way of getting lost, or at best seems to take longer to find than it used to.

But here's the good part - you come to know that your body is only a shell, a holder of your spirit - which fortunately doesn't seem to age, but gets wiser, stronger and more full of life with each passing year. I see these physical imperfections for what they are - a right of passage and the natural course of life. Aging has blessed me with the ability to be a more compassionate, caring and accepting being...not only of myself, but of others as well. I no longer judge outward appearances, but pay attention to what is on the inside.

I remember years ago there was a popular slogan, "you're not getting older, you're getting better". I used to laugh because I thought "old" people had to tell themselves that to feel better...I now laugh because I know that it is true - getting older IS getting better!!
~ Andrea :-)

I suppose it is a part of the human condition - always seeking approval and acceptance...the need to please. I wonder how many of us would make different the choices if our actions were based on what we felt was right for us, instead of what we think will please someone else.

Something recently happened that opened my eyes to how many of the decisions I make, and how much of my behavior, is based on what others expect of me and what they might think of me, rather than what I think or feel is right.

People who know me probably see me as a pretty confident person who is not afraid to voice my opinion, or to stand up for myself or a cause I believe in. Yet when faced with disapproval I realize that I put too much empahsis on someone else's judgement, rather than my own.This recent experience was very eye-opening, and helped me to recognize a pattern in my life, as well as acknowledge how much time and energy I expend on doing things because I am looking for validation from others. On a logical level I know I can never please everyone and yet the approval of other people seems to have a way of countering that logic.

As Oprah always says, "when you know better, you do better" - and so now that I am aware of how much emphasis I put on pleasing other people, my goal is to pay closer attention to what brings me happiness and pleasure - and to stop living my life to other's expectations, and to start living up to my own. Because at the end of the day there is only one person I answer to, and that is me!!