You
Comfortable in your bareness
Within this hidden interior
A stark contrast
To your veiled appearance
On the streets!
For us
The reverse
Comfortable in our bareness
Unclothed on the streets
We quiver
With self consciousness
When bare
In the company of our sisters!

For you
No need to flaunt
No need to taunt
You are comfortable
Within your being
Expressed
Thru brush strokes
As you groom each other
With the tenderness of lovers
Strangers side by side
You share this moment
Cleansing
Purifying
Almost a sacred
Silent ritual
But so much
Knowing is exchanged

There is a shift
Upon our presence
As we enter
Our awkwardness
Amusement
For the locals
The spell
Temporarily broken
Reweaves itself
All eyes turn
As we slip & slide
Nervous laughter
Shadows our discomfort
We feel exposed
And out of place
And yet
The warm steamy atmosphere
Is strongly safe & secure

Slowly we relax
Into the strong hands
That twist & turn our bodies
Deftly navigating our curves
Without being too personal
Or intimate
The layers wash away
Not just skin!
We are cleansed
Mentally
Emotionally
Spiritually
Physically!

We float
Back into
The maddening crowds
Of Fez
But we are different
Our spirits are glowing
We are heartfelt
And knowing
Feeling divinely alive
And floaty
We slip gently
Back into
The ebb & flow
Of the medina

Are they fearful of their own power?
Or feeling not worthy?
If so …
What have they done
To be so non deserving?
Perhaps it’s about responsibility
Some people shy away from that
Or the effort or focus it takes
Maybe they are keeping themselves
On the straight & narrow
For fear of going overboard
Or being over indulgent!
Others may think it makes them lazy, slothful
They will lose their determination & drive
Or perhaps it’s the thrill of the chase
Of solving the problem & creating the solution
The end prize almost being an anti climax!

How paradoxical …
We hold back on one form of abundance $$$$
For fear of losing another …
Drive, opportunity, humility, thrill, achievement etc
There are endless forms of everything
So why fear lack or limitation
Or perhaps that’s not the issue
Perhaps it’s one called control!
But still that is rooted
In fears of lack or loss
We need to spend more time
Focusing on what is plentiful
Within our lives
Cause there are many stock piles
It’s then a matter of
Changing the form
A much easier challenge
Psychologically
Than starting from nothing!

I ask myself
From where does this resistance come?
What beliefs do I hold
That deny myself
Of my natural joy filled state?
• Is it too simple
• Life’s not that easy
• That’s not being responsible
• You must take life seriously
• Be focused, logical & determined
• You must work hard & you will be rewarded
• You must be the best
• You must achieve your full potential
• You must make something of your life
• No time to waste
• Work work work
And so I did!

I think back …
To the carefree fun loving girl of 6
All smiles & pigtails
Where did she go?
Naivety pops into my head!!!
There are monsters out there!
They may take advantage of you!

To over simplify …
It seems somewhere
My joy filled, carefree, fun loving self
Shifted to  … fear based & consequences!
I grew up!
I became responsible!

Whatever prompted me
To make being adult & responsible vs
Joy filled & fun loving
Mutually exclusive?
For whatever reason …
I cemented that association
And it has taken many years to dismantle it
Not that it has to!
I chose to make it long & drawn out
I had many lessons to learn
And of course
I wanted to do it MY way!!!
And so I did!!

I think
In a way
It was my own form
Of discipline … of training
My very own personalised Masters degree!
So now …
I realise the truth …
I am
And can be
Joy filled at any moment!
Despite anything else …
I am doing
I am having
I am being
It is disrespect for self
If we do not honour
That within our ourselves
Part of our life spark
The human spirit
That flows thru us all
How can we deny that
Being Joy filled
Is our birth right!

So back to joy filled
Can it be that simple?
Were we born that way?
What’s the use of intelligence
If we don’t have to work it out?

So here’s my thought …
We come into this world
• joy filled
• loving unconditionally
• respected & respectful
To name a few …
Our egos & intelligence
Set us on a path of discovery
We embrace & take on
Everything we are not!
How else do we know thyself!
We need contrast to see
We need drama to feel
When we realise this …
Our journey takes a new direction
Rediscovering our natural essence
Our truth
The very thing we started with!
So perhaps …
This is our true purpose
To explore
What we are
And what we are not
How else can we know thyself?

A whole new world
Wanting to be discovered
Opportunity & abundance
Waiting to be uncovered

By you
By me
Whoever it be
It’s there for the making
It’s there for the taking

It does not stem from the things you do or have … but rather from who you be!

Like your sense of purpose … it comes from within!

Our imagination
Can also present its self
As idealisms, perfection & fantasy
Again we invest
Significant time & effort
So much so …
They become our reality
Our benchmark
So when we look at our lives
Our day to day
Doesn’t stack up
We fall short of our idealism
As we start to feel sad & blue
The gap widens
Spiralling us down
If left unquestioned
We become depressed
Longing for what is not!
Never was & never will be!
The time & effort
We have invested
In creating this form of reality
The time & effort
We have spent
Collecting evidence
So we can continue
To believe this reality
Works in favour of our egos
We refuse to believe there
Could be a straight forward solution
How would we feel about ourselves
If the truth be known
That our own misery
Was created by us
It takes a lot of guts
To see this
It takes a lot of nerve
To own this
It takes strength
To embrace this responsibility
Cause when we do
We are compelled
To move ourselves forward & thru
Yes … we must take responsibility
For that too
And yes … we do survive
Stronger than before
(Thanks ONJ)
We all have capability to do this
You just need to choose to
The rest will come

You don’t have to do it alone
It takes courage to move down this path
So you don’t have to be brave
And go solo
Find a wing man or woman
There are so many people
Who want to help
There are so many people
Who understand
You just need to want to help & understand you
Cause that is the starting point
All else will fall into place.
So go ahead
Ask for help today.