I am awake, I am alive, and this morning I am cherishing a concept known all too well in Nish country – the value and need to just “sit with it”.
The practice is as simple as it is profound. Someone shares an idea with you. You don’t question. You don’t debate. Instead, you sit with it. You mull it over. You balance it against things you already know and believe. You see how it fits. You sit with it.
Why? Because many believe that the most amazing relationships are reciprocal, an equal sharing, like tobacco for wisdom. By sitting with it, you are respecting the value of their words by giving them something equally as valuable in return – your consideration and time.
But Western culture doesn’t preach that. Western culture leaves many feeling insecure, trained to believe that every fact received must be agreed to, argued with or dismissed, lest we appear less intelligent or worldly than the speaker. And all of this must happen in a matter of seconds. How can anyone not feel anxious with such expectations?
But what if it isn’t about image or reputation? What if our journey, our life experience, isn’t about what you prove or don’t prove to others? What if ego doesn’t play into this?
What if we focused inward instead, realizing the real value of any interaction is found in focusing, not on how you present to others, but on your own growth instead? What if you accepted the words of another as something for you to carry until you choose not to, like a new appetizer that can be savoured or spit out at whim? What if you stopped fighting and proving and instead, just sat with their words for a time?
Because my dear friend, if you want wisdom, if you want self-esteem, if you want to feel confident, then do yourself a favour.
Sit with their words. Sit with mine.
I love you. HUGSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS Sandi
