FROM AWARENESS TO ACCEPTANCE

OBSERVE THE LENS THROUGH WHICH YOU VIEW THE WORLD, AND CONSIDER MAKING ROOM FOR OTHERS’ POINTS OF VIEW.

- Mary Boutieller

Last month, I wrote about tolerance (or the lack thereof) and how it was affecting my life, making me feel quite curmudgeonly. Since that time, I have become more aware of my immediate reaction to things versus my more thoughtful response. As I question the validity of those reactions, I’m finding that I am able to relax a bit more and let things be —slowly but surely a work in progress!

Tolerance and acceptance seem to be two peas in the proverbial pod—different, yet somehow linked.

First I have to become aware of my behavior; I have to actually notice it! How many of our behaviors are so ingrained or habitual that we don’t even realize we are doing them? Once aware, however, I then get to choose what to do about them.