I started a re-entry post, got all the way to 384 words and decided it wasn’t right. So here goes. My second try. My second shot. My best attempt to tell you where I’ve been these past two weeks.
No need to beat around the bush.
I need to write something bold, something brave, something public even though it’s not perfectly composed.
So let’s jump right in.
Let’s start with this bombshell of a reality.
Some of us need to start feeling ALL the feelings.
That’s right.
That’s what I said.
I’m truth telling today.
Have you anesthetized yourself?
Have you anesthetized your life so it’s clean, pretty, tidied up good?
Have you anesthetized your emotions so all you are is a robot, living in the gray middle ground of safe, don’t offend, don’t ruffle any feathers?
Yep, that’s me.
How about you?
Anesthetized.
Blah. Blah. Blah blah blah.
Anesthetized.
It definitely doesn’t describe all of you, but undoubtedly some of you.
Perhaps you’ve gone dead. Perhaps you’ve turned parts of you off. Perhaps you lost your fire, forgot how to cry, or don’t ever get angry anymore. Perhaps you play nice guy, good girl, or I’m down with that ALL the time. Perhaps you say you don’t care when you really care a whole lot. Perhaps you’re fearful and you play brave. Perhaps you’re dying inside and nobody knows. Perhaps you’re crying a river behind closed shades and everyone thinks you’re winning every corner of life. Perhaps you’re insecure hiding behind the security of jobs, money, bigger cars and bigger bank accounts. Perhaps you don’t have a clue as to what the purpose of your life is and you’re pretending you got this, man. Perhaps you’re ticked off and you haven’t let on for one minute that something’s irking you. Perhaps you’re wishing for a friend and you haven’t a clue how to be one so you just keep pretending it’s all good. Perhaps you want to rock the world upside down, but you’ve played meek as a mouse your whole life long. Perhaps you have a whole lot of opinion, but you’ve decided it’s best to just shut up and zip your lips. Perhaps you’re vibrant and lively, but clean and easy doesn’t rock the boat nearly as much. Perhaps you were hurt badly and you’re having a really hard time forgiving, but you let those burdens fester until they dry you up inside. Perhaps you’re jealous, envious of their vacation, their home, their pool, their children, their career, their spring wardrobe, their holiness, their carefree, optimistic lifestyle, but you blunt it and play fake. “Yay, we’re so glad for you!” when inside you’re dying, won’t acknowledge you haven’t tended your soul for a decade, maybe more. Perhaps you love the Lord, but you’re playing secular to be liked. Perhaps you want to be independent, but you let everyone wait on you hand and foot because it’s easier that way. Perhaps you’re addicted and you don’t know how to handle life anymore, so you numb and blind yourself to your dangerous reality because it’s easier that way. Perhaps you haven’t sat down for a minute to ponder what’s going on in your life, so you keep running and doing and working and trying hard to quiet the reality in front of you. Perhaps you’re tired, but nobody’s there to help so you suck it up. Perhaps this world feels all too much and you just can’t do it anymore, but everybody else seems to be running the race, so shut up and shape up and ship out because it works for everyone else, so why not you? Perhaps you need help, but you never ask. Perhaps you’ve blamed and shamed yourself for years, for all the things you did wrong, for all the ways you went wrong, and you push it away, you push it away some more, but it festers and you ignore it and you numb it and that little voice won’t stop talking, but you listen and keep it quiet, to yourself. Perhaps you need to grieve, but you shove it down because there is no time for grief. Perhaps you have opinions, big opinions about politics, but you keep quiet because you don’t want to rock the boat. Perhaps you eat doughnuts, fast food, endless energy drinks and fudge chunk brownies late at night. Perhaps you work out like a mad person. You count every calorie, watch every morsel in some pursuit of better, more, less, I’ll be better if, I’ll be better when mentality. Perhaps you’re playing angry when really you’re just plain hurt. Perhaps you’re hurt and you’re just plain numb. Perhaps you’re numb because you’ve never let anyone see ALL of you.
Yes, we anesthetize ourselves.
It’s true. And it’s no good.
Searing and singing the bottom, top and middle gray-grounds of our emotions is toxic, troubling and terrifying.
It’s better to be reserved, you say.
Better to hold it in.
Better to be kind and nice, patient and understanding.
Better to suck it up.
Better to use good judgement.
Better to be discerning.
Yes, have a discerning spirit.
For the sake of those who need to hear it, let me say this…
Some of us have been far too discerning for far too long.
Stop discerning every detail up, down and sideways.
Here’s why…
At its worst, hyperactive discernment leads to hyper-vigilant awareness of ourselves, our emotions and our surroundings, which leads us overthinkers, overachievers and people pleasers to believe the best solution is to anesthetize ourselves and our lives.
Stop. anesthetizing. everything.
Good.
Good enough.
Fine.
FINE is an anesthetized life.
Let us feel all the feelings.
I cannot and will not live anesthetized any longer.
I must practice authenticity.
I must live with integrity.
I must show how I feel.
I must speak up when I don’t feel right about something.
I must tell you when I don’t understand.
I must tell you when you’ve crossed the line. Gracefully, of course.
I must tell you when you hurt me, when that doesn’t work for me, when you’re trying to shut down part of me and I don’t want to be shut down anymore.
I must work through my emotions instead of letting them simmer down in.
I must not hide.
I must be true to myself.
I must be true to the world.
Anesthetized people. Let’s wake. Let’s rise. Let’s be who we are. Let’s stop hiding and harboring it in. Let’s live. Let’s live on the fringes and everywhere in-between. Let’s live WHOLE lives instead of SAFE lives. Anesthetized is safe. Safe is good, but let’s be honest, it’s not that good. Let’s live boldly. Bravely. Let’s gain a little ground for the sake of authenticity.
I don’t know about you, but I’m tired of the anesthetized life.
Whole living.
Authentic living.
The world needs all of us, not just the safe, pretty parts of us.
How about that for something to ponder?
Fire up.
Awaken, precious soul.
Rise up and feel again.
