Are You Living In A Cage?

We recently added a parakeet to our little family and it’s taken time to earn his trust.  He wasn’t hand-fed as a baby which means he’s not used to being touched by humans….in fact, he was downright terrified of us.  After doing energy work on him,  he slowly allowed us to enter his space more often without shaking and cowering.  What I really find interesting is that he consistently responds to my son who has autism.  I have to admit, we worry when he interacts with the bird because he can be prone to episodes of anger and violence.  Yet his entire demeanor changes when he enters the bird’s space.  It makes me wonder, does he relate to the bird because the bird lives in a cage?  And is the reverse true…does the bird see my son as kind of a kindred spirit?

I often feel that people are living in a cage of sorts.  Sometimes the cage is self imposed because we feel different and therefore don’t feel that it’s safe to fly free and be ourselves. At other times I think the cage is forced upon us with the use of  labels.  Why do we allow this?  Why do we  feel it’s necessary to hide our true selves?  The sad part is that we spend so much time hiding who we are from the public, that we often forget who our authentic self is.  Maybe we never knew.  Maybe the way we processed childhood experiences affected how we see ourselves.  Whatever the reason, the bottom line is that it’s never okay to allow other people to decide who we are.  If only it were that easy, right?  I think for some people it is that easy.  Does the Dali Lama  worry about what Oprah or anyone else thinks about him?  Did Mother Teresa?  Not at all.  These icons have lived their lives as their True Selves.  Mother Teresa remained true to herself until the day she died.  The Dali Lama continues to do so.  Why is is okay for them to live as such, but not us?

I’m still in the process of learning how to step out of my cage.  I’ve changed my life completely over the past few years and now help others to do the same.  Learning how to let go of the past is an integral part of the process.  Don’t get me wrong, there are still plenty of times that I jump back in my cage.  I spent many more years inside than out and it can be comfortable there.  What I discovered though, is that it’s not what it used to be.  It’s not quite as comfortable as it used to be and I don’t like to remain there for long. It’s more like a visit now.

What are some ways that you can begin to be and honor your true Self?  For me, discovering that it’s okay for me to happy,  and that I’m not responsible for someone else’s happiness was a big help.  Understanding that this is true for everyone made me realize that although we are unique, we are not all that different from one another.  When you get down to it, the energy that came together to form people like the Dali Lama and Mother Teresa is the same energy that came together to form each one of us.  We’re actually honoring  ourselves and each other when we allow ourselves to be Who We Are.

There is a world of infinite possibilities just outside your door.  Why not experience one of them?  If you don’t like it, there’s always another new experience waiting for you. Think of one way to step out of your cage today and give it a shot, you just might like it.