The Possibility of Openness

I am very fortunate to be part of a faith community that welcomes openness.  I have experienced grace and acceptance for being imperfect, human and open about my feelings.  What I realized yesterday is that even though there may be people in our community who choose to be more private about their inner lives, our community creates a space for openness to happen.  To exercise that choice is almost irrelevant.  The miracle lies in the possibility for safety and love when we are ready to open up. 

I think life offers us this possibility at every moment, really.  I just happened to become aware of it yesterday through the experience of community.  Bottom line: even when our circumstances do not feel safe or loving, we can invite ourselves to consider the possibility of openness.  It’s there.

I have an exercise for you.  Go to your room, or your bathroom, or your practice room, or your basement, or your closet and sit down.  Breathe.  Create a little bit of space around yourself to be safe and honest for a minute.  Relax into the possibility of security . . . and then openness. 

Breathe again. 

Now, breathe again.

I don’t know what you are off to do next, but you have just entertained the possibility of openness by creating a sense of more security in yourself.  I trust that if you are practicing or off to practice, you will feel more able and willing to be where you are – whatever level of playing.