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Acceptance of Myself

Colorado Girl's picture

Submitted by Colorado Girl on Thu, 10/07/2010 - 2:20pm

I can't whistle... but I can lick my elbow.

I received an email once that says no one can do it. So like anyone reading this is probably trying to do right now, I tried it and found that I could. It's effortless for me... having something to do with short limbs and an abnormally long tasting mechanism.

It makes me special in a small, goofy, insignificant way.

I have been doing a lot of sitting and reflecting, absorbing and listening more... and talking less. I was reading an excerpt from the Tao of Pooh, and it brought me to a sort of realization.

From the cover of the book:

While Eeyore frets ...
... and Piglet hesitates
... and Rabbit calculates
... and Owl pontificates
... Pooh just is.

I think I so often see myself as Piglet. Timid and afraid... just wanting to be more like his best friend, Pooh.

I am beginning to see a little bit of Rabbit in me too, clever and judgemental. Some of Owl who seeks knowledge just to appear to be wise.... and even Eeyore whose true desire to complain blocks him from ever knowing truth in happiness.

Then I read about Tigger who was not included in the original list and I see my own Inner Tigger too...

The wise know their limitations; the foolish do not. To demonstrate what we mean, we can think of no one better than Tigger, who doesn't know his limitations ('Tiggers' can do everything'), which brings him in lots of trouble. Piglet instead knows his limitations and that's what makes him sometimes more brave than you would expect from such a small animal. So, the first thing we need to do is recognize and trust our own Inner Nature, and not lose sight of it. Inside the Bouncy Tigger is the Rescuer who knows the Way, and in each of us is something Special, and that we need to keep:

"Tigger is all right really," said Piglet lazily.
"Of course he is," said Christopher Robin.
"Everybody is really," said Pooh. "That's what I think," said Pooh.
"But I don't suppose I'm right," he said.
"Of course you are," said Christopher Robin.

Perhaps I am all the things I think I am. Perhaps it takes Radical Acceptance of myself to truly learn to be OK with who I am. Lots of things go wrong when blindly trying to do what you aren't designed for. The same way the author talks about how a fish can't whistle in the book and neither can I. Nobody expects a fish to whistle when a fish just can't. The same way I can't expect myself to be things I am not... to expect myself to be more like Pooh when I'm so much more like Piglet.

Like Rabbit, like Owl, like Tigger and like Pooh.

... and just like the BM in my life.

It just is what it is. Smile

Comments

wriggsy's picture

Submitted by wriggsy on Thu, 10/07/2010 - 2:26pm

I'm a wonderful Tigger
Tiggers a wonderful thing
Their butts are made of rubber
Their tails are made of springs
They bounce and trounce
Bounce and trounce
Fun fun fun fun fun
The most wonderful thing about Tiggers?
I'm the only one!
ROWRRRR!

May you be the best Tigger you can be!!

wriggsy's picture

Submitted by wriggsy on Thu, 10/07/2010 - 2:30pm

Yeah...I'll admit...I tried to lick my elbow, too. Good thing I couldn't reach because I can't stand to have my elbow touched!!

stormabruin's picture

Submitted by stormabruin on Thu, 10/07/2010 - 2:49pm

I went ahead & bookmarked this. I feel certain I will read & re-read as I need to be reminded that it's okay just to be who I am. I feel like so often I take notice of the things I see in other people & wonder...why can't I be like that? I see good qualities in me, but typically anything that's different about me...any quirks I have, I guess when I notice that they're out of the norm I feel like I need to change it so I fit.

Of course, we've all heard it...the world would be a boring place if we were all the same. I guess I just never thought my differences just made me different. I think I just thought they made me odd.

Odd makes me feel...like an outcast. I'm okay with different. Smile

I can't whistle OR lick my elbow.

Colorado Girl's picture

Submitted by Colorado Girl on Thu, 10/07/2010 - 3:00pm

I think Quirky is cool.

I love the little things people do, that make them stand apart from the rest. Especially when there is no effort involved.

I also try too hard to be like everyone else and be who I think I'm supposed to be...

I think it's made me sad for a very long time.

Right from the gate, I disappoint myself for not being who *I* think I should be... or been resesntful when I couldn't live up to the expectations of others.

Thanks for your feedback. It's awesome.

stormabruin's picture

Submitted by stormabruin on Thu, 10/07/2010 - 3:04pm

I also love the little things people do that make them stand apart from the rest. For some reason, though, when it's ME standing apart from the rest, it makes me feel like something's wrong. Having the attention drawn to the idea, though, I can use this as a reminder that the people who know me & see my quirks & differences still find it in themselves to like me, so it's probably safe to be happy with who I am. Smile

Colorado Girl's picture

Submitted by Colorado Girl on Thu, 10/07/2010 - 3:53pm

You're vickmeister.

I think you're pretty great. Very honest.

And right now scratching her head.

So you're seeking. That's fantastic and encouraging. Smile

stormabruin's picture

Submitted by stormabruin on Thu, 10/07/2010 - 3:54pm

Absolutely. I get stuck wondering "Is this part of me really who I am, or is this me trying to be something I'm really not?" LOL!

Mary Jane2's picture

Submitted by Mary Jane2 on Thu, 10/07/2010 - 4:38pm

What a beautiful post. I am in the process with trying to find some inner peace with who I am as a person and would love to know which books you have been reading and which ones you found the most knowledgeable.

As an SM I find that we tend to loose perspective of who we are as a person, we tend to loose focus of what is really and trully important to our inner self and end up being too focused on our SO, Skids and BM and there past instead of them being apart of our life we are making them our whole life (wheather it's by constantly worring about the BM, our skids driving us made or our SO that hasn't collected his balls from BM yet) and loosing who we trully are in the process.

I have also heard and read abit about The Creative Power System which focuses on the power of positive thinking and such. Have you read or looked into this at all?

Stick's picture

Submitted by Stick on Thu, 10/07/2010 - 6:01pm

Rabbit ejaculates...CG!!! I love this. It is very sweet in a child-wonder kind of way.

My problem is that I had to re-read it twice because with all of the "...cates" words in it, I at first read

While Eeyore frets ...
... and Piglet hesitates
... and Rabbit EJACULATES (!!) :jawdrop:
... and Owl pontificates
... Pooh just is.

And I was like.. What??? And then I reread it and it made sense. I feel like I am
Eeyore about my parents
Piglet about my actions
Rabbit calculates - about BM (unless he's ejaculating, and then I'm Rabbit about DH!!) eeek
Owl (on this site?? - Ohhh I hope not too much)
Pooh - at the end of the day - I know who I am
and Tigger... well, I used to be a lot more Tigger, and I am both happy and sad about that at the same time! Smile

Great post CG! It is what it is!! Always a favorite saying!