Saints and Angels

I had an odd experience the other day: someone called me a saint for doing what I do with Vibe Shifting. It was… weird. I didn’t know whether to laugh or to be disturbed. Because that type of thing has happened a few times now; I’ve been called a “guru” and an “angel” before, too. And I gotta tell you, I’m not all that comfortable with it. Because I’m not any of the above. I’m just a person who has been through an awful lot in life, and still found a way to get through it all to a place of happiness.

It is those of us who have been broken that become experts at mending. ~Steve Maraboli

For those of us who have been through a lot, and survived and become stronger for it, it becomes important at some point to be able to help others through their own difficulties. We know from experience that no matter how dark it seems in the moment, there is always a light ahead, and if our own experiences can make the path easier for others, then there’s almost a compulsion to do whatever we can to ease the journey.

The miracle of the thing

About eighteen years ago, back when I was working on my first university degree, I remember taking a walk with a friend. It was one of those “deep conversation” walks where we swapped life stories and stuff. And I remember her shaking her head as she turned to look at me, and she said: “The miracle of the thing is that you’re still such an amazing, nice person. Because if I’d been through what you have, I wouldn’t be.” At the time, I thought it was a very strange thing to say, but it’s something that I’ve thought about a lot over the course of the years.

Healing yourself is connected with healing others. ~Yoko Ono

What is it about me that allowed me to live through everything I had up to that point, and everything that has happened since, and still think the world is a beautiful place? Why is it that I am still able to see the good and the beauty in people, and why is that I am able to bounce back after each new trauma? I think part of it is in what my father taught me, not in words, but in the way he lived his life: bad things may happen, and you may not be able to control it. And when these things happen, they will either make you bitter, or they will make you stronger. But that choice is always yours to make.

And the other part is my own experience. I’ve learned the hard way that the way I think about things has a HUGE impact on what happens in my life. I wasn’t always so positive; as a child, I was often accused of being a pessimistic perfectionist. I had to learn to let that go, and to deliberately start looking for the silver lining in every cloud, because it’s always there. No matter how bad a situation is, there is always something that you can learn from it, or something good that comes out of it. You just have to look for it.

It’s not magic, it’s a choice

There’s nothing magical about it, and it has nothing to do with saints and angels. I’m just human, just like you. I’ve done things in my life that I’m not proud of. I make mistakes. I still get angry and impatient. Sometimes I’m even outright bitchy and petty (it happens). But I’ve learned not to constantly beat myself up over any of it. Everybody has “off” days, and we need to be patient with each other and ourselves when those days happen.

To know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is to have succeeded. ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

I’m not a saint; I’m not an angel; I’m not a guru. I’m just me. But if anything that I’ve written or said through this platform has the power to help another person, then I know that whatever I’ve been through has served a greater purpose. And for that, I will always be truly grateful.

photo credit: pixabay.com cc

Pin It on Pinterest

Share This