New Zealand

One of our members just returned from a six week trip to New Zealand. Our meeting this past week consisted of her sharing stories of her trip and photos of that beautiful country.

But this was much more than a travelogue of a glorious trip of a lifetime. It was also a spiritual journey. The emotion with which she shared her experiences and her inclusion of our relationship and our effort to continue on a path of learning gave me, and I believe in all of us, a sense of our closeness and our shared awe of this magnificent planet.

Her recounting of this very special trip was a gift to all of us, one that will stay with us for a long time.

Becoming Compassionate with Ourselves

        One of the most important uses of nonviolent communication is learning to become compassionate with ourselves. Without this, we cannot become compassionate with others.

        Unfortunately, many of us have forgotten that we are special. Critical ways of viewing ourselves prevents us from seeing the beauty within us and we lose our connection to our divine energy. When we use nonviolent communication to evaluate ourselves, we foster growth rather than self-hatred. 

        When we are less than perfect, we tend to call ourselves "dumb" or "stupid" or worse. Even if we change our behavior, if we do it out of shame or guilt, it is not a free and joyful act.

        If we evaluate ourselves in terms of whether and how well our needs are being met, we are more likely to learn from our evaluation and are more likely to act from energy that is filled with joy.

        Our challenge then, when we are not perfect, is to evaluate ourselves in such a way that inspires change in the direction we want to go and we do so out of respect and compassion for ourselves.

I will continue with this next time. Please send us your thoughts on this important topic so we can learn from your wisdom.