Whilst meandering through Twitter yesterday, this popped up in my feed:
At times, my creative journey has felt more like an odyssey, so I know exactly what Patchett is getting at. As I continue to work towards a state of being able to make peace with myself and the events that have shaped me into the person I am, I learn more and more about how I can work towards that ultimate goal of self-forgiveness.
Just a short post today – hopefully next week’s Sunday Thought will be a little more substantial. Thanks to Leigh at Headspace Perspective for the inspiration.
What’s been the hardest part of your creative journey? How are you working towards overcoming it? Let’s talk in the comments.
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I grew up without a solid foundation of trust and weird vibes of being unworthy; ugly; unwanted. I read Wrinkle in Time at age10 which took me out of myself into the universe and gave me a valuable lesson about the worth of good and fighting to have good over evil. To forgive myself: it is a foreign concept. I don’t know what I did that needs forgiveness. I was a doormat so it isn’t that I instigated. I see this theory come up over the years about forgiving yourself and how important it is. My nearest glimpse into what this would mean for me is giving up on something before I should have; missing out on an opportunity because I listened to someone; things like that. So, I’d like to explore what forgiving yourself means when you haven’t done anything harmful to others. I have always lived my life that I would hurt myself before others. In family matters, things are left unsaid. Others spout off but I am silent. My mother was same way. She wouldn’t let me sue a Dr who disfigured me during an operation. Or fight back with the Optometrist whose wife melted my glasses. She called them cheap. She had no business trying to reform glasses. So, I let those go. But, is forgiveness needed because I didn’t act? I don’t know how to act. No solid foundation. No discussions were allowed in my house. We couldn’t speak at the dinner table. Hard to no what should be done in real world outside house.
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Ann Patchett is an inspiration. If you haven’t read “This is the Story of a Happy Marriage,” I highly recommend it. It’s not about marriage at all, except one essay. It’s mostly about the writing life. I was inspired by her insight. Thanks for this quote, Casey.
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Excellent!
Thanks, Elaine. I enjoyed your recommendations on Facebook as well. Interestingly, I own ‘Memories, Dreams and Reflections’, but have never got around to reading it. Perhaps it is time.
Take care,
Casey
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