I love the conversation y’all were having. People want to justify quickly so that they can move onto the next thing without actually having to sit with their emotions. Sometimes justification is simply being present with our anger or sadness, etc… Mine would be “forgive and forget” 😩🤢 and somehow it’s attached to religion or a narcissist refusing to take accountability for what they have done to you. I used to dread hearing this quote as a child because people would constantly contradict themselves. They want to quickly forgive or want someone to quickly forgive them, but as soon as another problem arises they bring up their past hurts and experiences. They’ll say “don’t bring up the past” because they don’t want to look into the mirror or take accountability, but are the main ones discussing about it because they haven’t moved on. I always thought this constant cycle was foolish and abusive behavior. As I’ve gotten older, I’ve realized forgiveness is not about the other person. It’s about forgiving myself. For not knowing any better, for being too hard/harsh on myself, for listening to others first before I listened to myself, for putting other’s needs before my own. The body harbors self-betrayal in the same light of being betrayed by others. I’m not sure that it knows the difference, but it certainly knows that it exists. The mind will choose to forget or even deny what you’ve experienced. I feel this energy needs to be released by revisiting the root cause of our pain. I feel society has gotten so comfortable accepting “passive forgiveness.” Just like they accept: “that’s just the way it is.” No one wants to be seen as combative, or ask questions, or to advocate for themselves. They just want to settle and move on because it allows them to be comfortable in their complacency. I believe as we forgive ourselves we can learn to forgive others, however for many it’s a lifelong journey. Especially when you suffer from PTSD or you’re around people or in a society that preys on manipulating you constantly. You have to learn new habits and recognize patterns and release limiting beliefs.

@Shakira Beltre aww you’re making me cry in all the best ways 🩵🤗 That’s exactly it!! As a child I enjoyed writing and reading short stories. Just being able to capture a moment and extending the experience. Writing again has truly helped me connect with my emotions and experiences. I would love to share more!! The ebook is available on my Patreon. For the last 5 months I’ve been publishing 5 new entries. I decided to publish my journal entries from the last 10 years of my life. I’m kind of waiting on the moment to feel that it’s completely finished. For now, I’ve just been enjoying writing and sharing. Here are the links and here’s another story I think you’d enjoy: https://www.patreon.com/collection/2024116?utm_campaign=collectionshare_creator

@Shakira Beltre ohh wonderful!! Definitely adding to the playlist

I haven’t started anything new creatively however, my approach to my art practice in life has shifted within the last month. I noticed that I’m choosing my innocence. Versus choosing the path that creates confusion and the path that has the most resistance. To not pick everything apart, but allow my ideas to come through naturally. I’m no longer fighting against the flow that I’m in just making sure that I respond to it the moment it shows up and allow it to be processed through and then I can move onto something else. Sometimes I make it overwhelmed and have to fight the inner perfectionist and responsible adult. But I’ve been reminding myself that life is fun waking up every day and being able to create is a part of this existence and it’s meant to be fully experience and not cut short or neglected. So yeah, I would say I’m beginning a new approach that resonates with me more and keeps me at ease.

@Shakira Beltre Thank you so much for your perspective and sharing this with me. It’s very enlightening. I’m more than happy to share my discoveries and research. You giving me more stuff to look into. 🤎

@Shakira Beltre this is my first time learning about AUDHD. I’ve also wondered within our ancestry or just with DNA in general. Does the body have a way of rejecting things that are not spiritually sound for us? Whether this just be food, antibiotics etc. Like a way for the body to restore self physically spiritually and mentally. I did a deep dive on deep seek. I’m going to share the link with you but still looking through some research. https://chat.deepseek.com/share/xytx7mmicb7uq6kzrf

Hey, my love!! You are never late, right on time. I can relate to how you're feeling as a community leader. We have our seasons, and we are building spaces where people can relate and support this. We show up when we can, the energy we have, and what we wish to connect more about --- that is enough! You are enough! The space you have created is so beautiful, and I am so glad to be a part of it and to share it with you. (I felt called to express, so I hope you do not mind - haha) This all ties into where I am right now. Just wanting to genuinely connect with people, listen to their stories, and be an observer of the world. I'm not always seeking or maybe have the space to always interact, but just being a "butterfly" flying around the conversation and observing human connection is where I am at. I think about: "How can we communicate better? How can we be more approachable? How can we be more introspective? How can we be more honest?" (I've been applying this to some changes in my business and for the new workshops I'm building for artists. I was behind on content for the last two months and finally caught up. 🫠 The moment I removed being hard on myself, I just created and communicated with my community, and it was supported and understood.) It takes great leaders like us to initiate and continue to show up---I am so proud of you for initiating and showing up authentically! 🌱 In my personal life, I am reminding myself of my power. Telling myself not to feel guilty for advocating for myself and respecting my time when I need to be in my own head. To not build systems or have relationships that pressure me into things that make me feel uncomfortable. This time away helps me evolve, hear my own thoughts, but also be my best self when I become social again. So yeah, that's my spill. Sending a warm hug!! 💙