bag of rocks

Experiences, feelings, thoughts and attitudes that can make us feel like we are not normal do not simply disappear from our hearts. Instead, we all tend to collect all of these emotions in our big bag of rocks. The weight of carrying them around can make it hard for us to grow and reach our goals in life...I know it has mine and I have had to learn how to deal with it! Many of us have trouble knowing the type of rocks that we carry around with us...I've got a wonderful exercise to do, it really helps for those of you wanting to try it. Get a paper or plastic bag and a permanent maker, Go out in your backyard or a park and collect a few rocks. Next go to a quiet place where you will not be bothered and make a pile of rocks. One by one, write a word that describes the way you feel about anything, take your time and dig deep. When you are thru, put the rocks in your bag...you will have a pretty heavy bag when you are thru. Feel the weight of the bag and notice the amount of rocks that you have in your bag. After you have done this, consider the true nature of a rock. Rocks are solid, strong, stable and enduring. Rocks are used to build foundations for houses and statues to honor great people in history. They are also used to pave roads and when they are cut and polished they become a beautiful piece of jewelry. They are not shameful, normal or abnormal. They are just simply a part of our earth and without them, life as we know it would not be possible. The same is true for our bag of rocks. They represent our struggles and pain, but they also stand for our experiences and that makes us unique. They also stand for the foundation of our real selves and they can be used to build self-empathy and a new definition of normal that can include every stone in our bags. Remember self empathy calls for us to treat ourselves with compassion. We should respect our personal history, our termperaments, our talents, and our shortcomings. If we don't practice empathy with ourselves, why should we practice it with others! So whats in your bag?