I don't know what will happen in the 2020 elections. I don't even know what will happen in elections this November. If this political era has taught us anything, it's that the story we think we're in can change drastically from week to week.
I don't know who the Democratic nominee will be, but I wonder....
If (IF) Trump doesn't win in 2020, what will happen? I fear that Trump will not accept the election results, and since he will still be in power in that moment, what will he do?
One thing I've learned from Shonda Rhimes is that dancing can help with stress. I also think dancing around my house is a good way to move my body for a while.
Maybe try it? Make one or a few playlists and make a ritual of dancing for 20 minutes each day. Just get down by yourself and see how it makes you feel.
Most studies show that most behavioral changes become habit after one month and also seem to start producing effects within a similar time frame.
Well, according to Ezekiel 1 they might look something like this…
According to Daniel 10 something like this…
According to Isaiah 6…
In Ezekiel 10…
Again in Ezekiel 10…
Basically, when the people writing Scripture tried to describe what they saw when they saw an angel… they run into the end of their imagination… they can never quite seem to fully explain it because they had trouble even comprehending what they saw, let alone being able to describe it to someone else.
Yeah, that’s usually how people responded to seeing them in the Bible…
There’s a good reason why angels’ standard greeting is ‘Do not be afraid’.
Just in case that grammar is tripping you up, the essence of this idea is that people who have been hurt often go on to hurt others. In some ways, it's statistics. People who grow up in homes with abuse are more likely to be part of an abusive home as an adult. People who grow up in violence are more likely to become violent.
In some ways, it kind of boils down to a sentiment that my mother expressed when I was younger (and maybe yours did, too) about how the mean kids were only mean because they felt bad about themselves.
I don't believe people are mean for no reason. There are very few people whose brain chemistries are so severe that no matter the health of their environments, they will become violent or cruel. Most of us, while we may have some genetics involved, learn our behaviors from those around us. Some of us repeat behaviors we see and others of us may behave in opposite ways. Some people want to be just like their mother and some people want to be nothing like their mother, right?
None of us happen in a vacuum. When I behave in ways I later regret, it's always rooted in something. In fact, most of the people whom history lifts up (or down?) as horrible people thought they were doing something good or participating in a necessary evil that would ultimately create a better world.
I often tell people that I like difficult personalities. It's true. I have noticed, in life, that the folks that many people find abrasive, rude, or perhaps just "super weird," are people I quite enjoy. I think this is because these people tend to have deep, interesting stories. They have survived things, seen things, and deal with a well of feelings (though not always well). Maybe you have one of "those friends" that not everyone gets, but that holds a tender spot in your heart.
Today I'm grateful for the ways that I am kind. I'm grateful for the people who contributed to the better parts of me and will try to forgive myself for the ways I am not perfect. There are reasons. Those reasons don't excuse me, but they challenge me to understand them and rise above them-- to break whatever cycles are not worth repeating. I'm grateful for the "difficult personalities" that allow me to practice this forgiveness and empathy, to better understand how we form, grow, and love. May I always try to remember that nothing is created or destroyed-- when someone hurts others, that hurt has come from somewhere and they have not yet been able to transform it.
Let's break cycles that should not be repeated and transform our own hurts into ways we can understand others and offer healing, love, and transformation.
