Contentment remains a long sought after state. It cannot be found outside of ourselves. It must be cultivated within our core. Finding this satisfaction brightens our world and potentially allows for our treasure to be seen.

I am celebrating a recovery of my own these days. Recovery from the language of should, unmet expectations, and regrets. I have discovered, if we focus on a negative past in order to build a secure future, we potentially destroy the sustainability of our support system, leaving it to buckle under the weight of unexpected upheavals. And, if we find ourselves force-fed ultimatums, served on a platter of conditional love, by those who only wish to feed their own weakened egos, we do have a choice to rise up with humility.

Humility does not denote laying yourself down to be walked on, but rather to allow pride to take the back seat. A healthy road is one followed with love in the driver’s seat. Although love for others is paramount, loving yourself is also part of the equation.

Self-acceptance can restore your soul as you become aware of those who strive to break you down with unloving words and actions. Disappointments mount if we look to others to fulfill our unmet needs, which can only truly be met with our own contentment.

If you feel as I do, you may benefit from repeating the following words to yourself.

I am me. I have learned to accept that I do not fit any pre-determined mold or fit in anyone else’s shoes.

Sharing the real me is worth far more than the excruciating process to conform and manipulate myself into what I think I should be, or more accurately speaking, what I believe others think I should be.

You may never measure up according to secular standards or be revered by those closest to you. You may continue to be judged by those whom you trust and love, as they manipulate spiritual authority into a weapon of superiority. The wounds of yesterday’s stabbing words and actions may never completely be forgotten, as scars remain.

Yet hope of healing exists for us all. Healing begins when you know in your heart, you matter. You are still loved. You are never alone.

A spiritual reawakening, a necessary fall from grace, or the pain from uninvited tragedy can lead us to a crossroad of utter devastation or, rather, a resigned acceptance of what exists. Volcanic lava may even be expelled from the dark hardened depths of our cores as we react to the heat of unwelcome and unkind onslaughts of accusations.

Yet, even after deep-sourced volcanic eruptions cause the extremes of highs and lows, finding and accepting our true selves where we are in life proves to be a treasure searched and longed for, a diamond in the rough.

An indeterminate lifespan is given to each of us to live out generations of influence. And within that span, we may desire our authentic selves to be discovered, appreciated, and valued. As we continue to create and grow our inner crystals to refract light, with the hope of being unearthed by generations to come, let self-acceptance, authenticity, and inner contentment help mold the facets of our being.

For it is through the painstaking repetitive process of being cut and polished by life’s circumstances, our protective outer covering eaten away, that we are each given the opportunity to reflect the magnificence of each new day’s light.

© Erika K Rothwell