Recently I read part of Gabor Maté’s latest book, The Myth of Normal: Trauma, Illness, and Healing in a Toxic Culture. Unfortunately I didn’t finish the book before it needed to be returned to the library. But two questions that Maté suggested we ask ourselves have been resonating for me for several weeks.

They are about what we say yes to in our life and what we say no to. For weeks those questions have been resonating for me and I’ve been thinking about the whole idea of minding your

Yes and No

I wish I had written down the exact wording of his questions. But as I remember them, the first question was, “What are you not saying yes to in your life and why?” And the second question was “What are you not saying no to in your life and why?”

Though they are very simple questions, I’ve discovered quite a lot over the past weeks as I notice my behaviors in the moment in relation to the two simple questions.

Anyone, no matter their history, can begin to hear wholeness beckoning, whether in a shout or whisper, and resolve to move in its direction. With the heart as a guide and the mind as a willing and curious partner, we follow whatever path most resonates with that call.
Gabor Maté, The Myth of Normal: Trauma, Illness, and Healing in a Toxic Culture

Simply pondering the questions has allowed me a sense of agency that I had been unaware was missing in many of my interactions with others.

Agency is neither attitude nor affect, neither blind acceptance nor a rejection of authority. It is a self-bestowal of the right to evaluate things freely and fully, and to choose based on authentic gut feelings, deferring to neither the world’s expectations nor the dictates of ingrained personal conditioning.”
Gabor Maté, The Myth of Normal: Trauma, Illness, and Healing in a Toxic Culture

It is fascinating to me to realize that no matter how old I get I never stop growing and learning. And it’s possible that I never stop healing either. What a gift life is!

Here is a lovely poem for today…

One Potential

as the self expands
through deep space, deep space expands
to fit in the self

   — Rosemerry Wahtola Trommer

Enjoy your week!

May you walk in beauty.

Note: The first image in today’s post is a photograph of the ceiling of my living room. The photo club topic for this month is “Arches and Avocados” and I’ve been unable to get out to find any arches so far. So I thought I’d photograph something as close as possible to arches that I could find here at home.


Marilyn

Photographer sharing beauty, grace & joy in photographs and blog posts. I live in the Twin Cites in Minnesota, the land of lakes, trees, and wonderful nature.

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