May 9

INTEGRITY MONTH: DAY 9: “Be impeccable with your word. Speak with integrity. Say only what you mean. Avoid using the word to speak against yourself or to gossip about others. Use the power of your word in the direction of truth and love.” –  Don Miguel Ruiz

This lesson, alone, would make us all much better people. I have grown weary of those who say they are going to do things and do not do them, as well as those who say things about others and then have a different face for them when it suits their purpose. I have recently been with this more than I care to be. It makes me sad and tired when I am with this for any period. I am prone to fall into this behavior if I am not guarded and mindful, because it was a way of life for the years before I got here. I had to knock you down and say awful things about you to feel better about who I was. It never worked. I work hard to keep my integrity with others and fall short on occasion, less frequently than I once did; because I am aware of what I want to do and say most of the time now. I begin to doubt those who have nothing to show for all the promises and pledges they take; along with those who speak badly of everyone they talk about, until they are with that person. Today I want to be made aware of the disparity of what I believe and what I do, so I have to step lightly and mindfully into conversation and interaction. This, and the other 3 agreements, have given me another great marker to walk the road I wish to walk. In this way, I can be who I long to be and do what it is I long to do. When I learn to live with integrity, I can eliminate a lot of time where I spent myself badly. When viewed this way, I can step away from those people and situations that feel like they are stealing my life from me. Their energy keeps me down and I am uncomfortable when around them. I see this more each day and move toward those things and people who fill my heart and life with love and truth. I am making this shift each day and it is amazing what comes into my days as I do so…shifting, shifting, shifting. As I become more integral, so do the situations and people around me. This is a wonderful thing, one I did not know I was looking for when I came and began, but one that is happening, nonetheless. Kindness and empathy give me words when my fear does not. When I feel smaller than others, it is best if I learn to sit in kindness and empathy for self so I can walk out of my house like a giant with a big heart. This is my job, always being mindful of who I am and how I walk. May I always use my words in ways that are healing and joining and enlarging, kind and honorable.