Radical Acceptance

I wasn’t prepared for the reaction I would have upon receiving my last Mother’s Day gift.  My daughter came up with a fabulous idea.  She asked several of my friends and family members to write a personal note about what I meant to them and how I had affected their lives.   She compiled all of these into a book which she had printed and bound. 

It was one of the most thoughtful gifts I have ever received.  I must confess, however, that I have only read it once.  It sits prominently displayed on my coffee table and I see it every day.  I have even picked it up several times since then but I have not dared to read it again.

The reason?  This is one of the hardest books I have ever read.  It is hard because I know that it is full of true, honest and heartfelt stories about me.  To accept that others believe these fantastic and wonderful things about me means that I too must accept them as the truth. 

Practicing radical acceptance and embracing ourselves for who we are can be scary.  We are usually too busy trying to be perfect, smart or humorous in order to avoid being rejected.  When we stop judging ourselves and realize that we are vulnerable just like everyone else we realize that it is all simply part of being human.

So tonight I will take a break from beating myself up for not being perfect, not getting my blog posts done on time as I promised myself and trade it in for a little kindness instead.  I think it’s time to put my feet up and read that book again too.