living lessons: life with chronic illness (lesson #3 )
surrendering should never be confused with sinking. when we surrender, we humbly recognize our powerlessness; when we sink, we abandon our agency to do anything about it. to surrender is to give ourselves permission to accept unpleasant circumstances because they are happening whether we like it or not. to sink however, is to ultimately give ourselves passive permission to witness our own self-destruction. what strikes me most in both scenarios is the inherent giving process found in each. in the case of giving in and surrendering, the gift is born of self-compassion and hope. whereas giving up and sinking is a gift born of release when we can no longer entertain an alternative - not because there isn’t one, but rather the water has tragically become too murky to see it. may we all give to ourselves wisely. may we all feel the softening of a surrender and not the sabotage of a sink. and in the end, may we all choose a life that is lovingly livable.
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