If we're not aware of our emotions or the patterns in our lives,
We will likely continue to react to life in the same old unconscious ways that we always have.
When these patterns were first forming,
We were perhaps only children,
Reacting to some fear or unmet need within us.
At that time,
We may have behaved in a myriad of ways,
By withdrawing or lashing out,
For example,
Strategies designed to protect us from the outside world and the perceived dangers it held.
Unfortunately,
At that time,
We may also have been unable to accept and integrate the powerful emotions we were feeling,
And now,
As adults,
Are still affected by these same wounds,
Our lives constantly influenced by their hidden presence.
Ruled to some degree by the past,
We are never truly in the present.
Not trusting life or the wisdom of the emotions within us,
We live separate from ourselves and from others.
And yet,
It is entirely possible to begin learning from our emotions and patterns and start responding to life,
To interact with it,
Instead of simply hiding from it or pushing it away.
To do this,
We just have to begin embracing the present moment and those feelings and sensations that we have,
For so long,
Chosen to avoid.
