Bad News, No One Likes to Give it

I cannot believe I have not posted for as long as I have! Life has been scurrying along and time, like magic, became now! Only no magic, only choices and ... well life!! In the past couple of days I have been faced with the uncomfortable task of presenting information to people I care about who, I know, will not be happy about what they hear. It has to do with a departure, a moving, from one place to another. I have been horribly uncomfortable with the idea of it until I realized that my integrity and friendship with these wonderful friends meant more to me than any discomfort I was feeling. So, putting on my "big girl panties," I will get to my responsibility and honor these wonderful friends with my honesty and peaceful (understanding) acceptance of their responses.

My prayer for the past year and a half has been to be rooted in my integrity. To know what is right and to not allow myself the luxury of the chameleon. It is a mature approach to life that asks me to stand up and with the attitude of respect for all of life, simply be as honest as I can be, given any circumstance I face. It is so much easier to avoid or hide from the obvious but it is exhausting and steals from us our energy and eventually our health if we cannot be kindly honest and upfront with those we care about, or even those we do not find so compelling!! I am not speaking of opinion...I am speaking of disclosure. Admittedly, there are some things better left unsaid! But when life circumstances bring us passage or change, the news we deliver is received more by HOW we deliver it over WHAT.

We all, at some point in our lives, must accept the reactive opinion of others, even if it is hurtful. If what others perceive about our change dictates our willingness to change ourselves, we are left wanting for a life we are meant to live. We are all faced, at some point, with that uncomfortable "exit" interview...a boss, a lover, a spouse, a neighborhood, a club, a friend. Our personal life is like a book that is particular to us and it is not only our right to finish our own story, it is also our responsibility to do so. I finally came to the understanding that my decisions were for my soul, not to hurt another person or to dismantle someone's life. Perhaps an unyielding truth would be that we only honor another when we honor ourselves. If you are faced with a hard decision and even harder disclosure, I offer this as a point of reference. I wish for it to buoy your courage and your heart...