Hello again.
In today's reflection,
We will speak about the sense of being enough,
Something that might be threatened as we age and move through change.
And I want to begin with a memory of attending my granddaughter's grade 8 graduation post-COVID.
As the graduating students were entering the theater,
We all stood and turned to watch these beautiful young men and women parade along the central aisle,
Dressed in their special attire for this occasion,
As each one made their way to the front of the room.
There was one young woman in the class who stood out for me.
I had met her a few years earlier on a scouting weekend.
I watched her closely as she made the imposing walk to the front,
And I was filled with the sense of this girl's comfort and grace.
I spoke to her afterwards to relay a message I wanted her to hear.
I told her that she exudes grace naturally,
Without having to do anything.
And she needed to know this from an older woman who has met a lot of people in my lifetime.
I found her presence to be exactly that.
A presence.
A viable,
Living,
Graceful presence.
Simply stated,
Enough.
When society teaches us,
Through the media of advertising,
That there is always yet one more product we should be using to make us have better skin,
Or sweeter breath,
Or shinier hair,
Etc.
,
The premise is,
We are not enough.
These messages perpetuate themselves over and over in TV and social media.
There's a reason for this,
Of course.
It's the advertising world.
And it's paying for us to watch the ads as we watch our entertainment.
But the underlying message is always there.
We are not enough.
And for teenagers,
Like my granddaughter's graduating class,
Struggling through the awkwardness of all the changes happening in their bodies,
The temptation of falling prey to the idea of not being enough can become the source of much internal angst.
And it is something that can follow us through our lifetime.
Remember the definition of Reiki?
Practically speaking,
Reiki is energy that you can bring to every situation in your life,
Including the sense of not being enough.
If this feeling of not being enough threatens you,
Then try placing your hands upon the part of you that hurts when you think of yourself as not being enough.
And then breathe the pure love of Reiki energy into those hurting parts of you that hold stories of not being enough from some time in the past.
Make this your practice in the coming weeks to attend to this critically important business of self-care by using your Reiki practice to help you heal these hurting parts of you that reflect those messages of the past and allow your self-care Reiki practice to help you age more gracefully into the future.
For internally,
When we are hurting,
We are searching for the love and compassion of love and caring we spoke about last time.
The care,
The compassionate care,
The loving care that a mother gives her hurting child.
We administer self-care to our own hurts as a caring mother would care for her child.
And I emphasize that we do this without feeling sorry for ourselves.
For when we feel sorry for ourselves,
We are not enough.
We are telling ourselves through our thoughts that we are not enough.
And this very negative state of mind can hold us in the stages of anxiety or even loneliness or fear as we age,
Preventing us from living our true reality and taking pleasure in life.
As you open to receive support from the universe that is your self-care Reiki practice partner at all times,
You will be guided to new connections to inspire you in new ways,
To comfort you in new ways,
To allow yourself to love yourself and to be loved in new ways and to believe that in all ways you are enough.
Aging gracefully allows you to remember or to realize that your life,
You are so much more than anyone can see.
You are incredible in your vastness,
Incredible in your vastness of your ability to feel and to sense emotion in all its forms.
You are incredible in your vastness to acknowledge your inherent talents.
You are incredible in your vastness to share your talents with others to help make the world a better place for your being here.
You are incredible in your vastness each time you place your hands on your body with the awareness and gratitude for the gift that Reiki is for you.
You are incredible in your vastness that brings meaning to each day now in real time.
Then sharing this vastness of your meaning with others always,
Each day of every day of your life.
Aging gracefully with Reiki challenges us to put an end to this I am not enough version of who we are that we carry within us and allows the I am enough version,
Like the young woman I spoke about at the beginning,
To shine through,
Evident for others to actually feel the strength of being enough,
Even from a distance.
Aging gracefully means you are allowing yourself to truly believe this and as you do,
You may find that insecurities are lifted as you are able to see beyond the confines that you have believed to be present for you.
So remember that child who may need to be comforted now.
Place your hands lovingly and caringly over the hurt or fear you feel within you when you sometimes think of yourself as not being enough.
However this feeling presents itself to you,
Then relax into a sacred and therapeutic healing time of supporting yourself tenderly,
Reassuring yourself that you are enough,
That this part of you is enough and is there for you always,
Reminding you that you are never alone.
You are surrounded by the life force that is Reiki energy and you are filled with it as you administer self-care Reiki to yourself lovingly,
Tenderly,
Comfortingly,
Reassuringly,
Using the mantra,
I am enough.
I am strong enough.
I am simply enough.
You can add more words to this to use for yourself also.
Whatever fits for you today,
Provided it is positive,
Let it become you now also.
I am strong.
I am strong enough.
I am loved enough.
I am simply enough.
I am strong enough.
I am loved enough.
I am simply enough.
I am strong enough.
I am simply enough.
I am strong.
Namaste.
I bow to the enough in you,
Which is divine.
