the promises i make myself

I promise to walk the path that I always knew, deep inside, was mine –
even when I was blinded by interference,
fogged by hypnotic illusion,
and momentarily forgot my way.

I will remember that the map is etched upon my heart
and readily accessible if I choose it so.

I promise to trust the inklings of my heart
and the urgings of my spirit without hesitation.
I will invite my mind to the party as well,
recognizing that wholeness fosters clarity
and the promise of greater peace.

I promise myself to listen more, to talk less,
and in every moment possible to speak my truth.
Knowing full well that others may not hear it, understand it,
appreciate or value it, I will speak it anyway.

At the end of the day,
I will honor the face I see in the mirror.

Any promise I ask of others, I will first ask of myself.
I promise to uphold my agreements with integrity,
to eschew contrivance, seduction, or manipulation.
When I feel myself leaning toward obfuscation,
I will even my keel or simply remove myself from the conversation.

Beginning right now, this very moment,
I commit myself to nonviolence.
If I catch myself in an act that may prove harmful to myself or others,
I will seize the opportunity to choose another way.
I will take steps to become fully aware of the difference between
establishing healthy boundaries and outright bullying.

I will choose compassion for its own sake.

My pledge is this:
To my greatest ability,
I will release ancient fears of being too small or too large.
To a will greater than my own,
I will surrender any dis-ease rooted in the fear of abandonment,
the fear of being forsaken,
the consideration that stepping into the depth of my full power brings with it
shame, guilt, or the prospect of terror and annihilation.

In corners where fear once dwelled,
I will plant the seeds of unconditional love.

I promise to be gentle with myself, and merciful,
to satisfy my own needs and desires at least as fully
as I seek to satisfy the needs and desires of others.
I will remember that self-care is not selfish;
that when refreshed, nourished, nurtured, and grounded,
I am able to offer a profound gift to all those around me.

As challenging as it may be,
I promise to recognize that each and every one I know and don’t know,
is on a path of her or his own creation.
I will seek to respect without judgment
the entire spectrum of journeys, joys, hardships, falterings,
and outcomes that comprise the human experience.

And in that seeking, I will discover that within my own being
resides a universe larger than I can ever fathom.

When all is said and done,
I promise to remember that nothing is ever said or done,
that existence moves on with or without me,
and that even the most stringent promise is but a whisper on the wind
and a footprint in the sands of time.