Growth via Discomfort

How afraid of pain are you? Do you avoid it, deny its existence, run like you are being chased at the idea of being with your pain or the pain of another? Growing pains are a metaphor for the life of the fully actualized adult. I know I'm on the verge of a life lesson when I become impatient, harsh, irritated. These soul sandpaper indicators are my early warning signs for a bumpy spiritual growth spurt ahead~a rebuke of some kind. Reading the signs of my internal weather system is becoming easier and with 10 000 hours of consistent investment in my learning, I have heard mastery will be mine. Mastery of what, you ask? Awareness, I want to be aware, awake, available to hear, see, feel or perhaps, more accurately, sense and trust that what I am observing makes "sense" in a way that I just don't have to always explain or understand. Let's get practical, shall we? Have you ever listened ad nauseam to someone and felt your ire grow as your time is wasted only to discover that this happens to be one of your annoying tendencies? I am grinning as I write this because words are precious AND in the mouths of the unconscious speaker, they become worthless, tasteless and like a junk food meal with no nutritional value. Awareness serves the listener and in this example, the speaker. The discomfort comes when I know, you know, that something must change, some learning and ultimate growth must occur to ensure that connection remains intact. Distilling this further, there is a time to ask, what is the point? Where are we going and how come? Pain has a place, it requires attention. There is a message and a point to pain and to ignore this is to reject the growth that comes from reconciling. Soul sand paper is necessary to smooth off edges and prepare the soul for Peace and Joy, the desired inner weather system. You can run but you cannot hide, pain pursues relentlessly and demands attention and the unwilling will and do show signs of soul sickness when avoidance is the pattern. Growth is uncomfortable, so what? The benefits of acknowledging and working through the pain far outweigh the cost of ignoring and avoiding. I dedicate this to Dana Candy, my wise, faithful forever growing and learning friend and hairdresser. Dana~you shine brightly in a darkened world, Gods Light guides many through you, one of His very own, you are a Beacon of Truth. Thanks for the inspiration Dana, I love you!