Feelings, Nothing More Than Feelings

"We fear violence less than our own feelings. Personal, private, solitary pain is more terrifying than what anyone else can inflict." -Jim Morrison

I so fiercely desire to be good, -and I want just as much to be liked. I'm beginning to think these are conflicting goals. If they are not in direct contrast to one another, they are definitely blocking what should be my goal, and our common goal as children of God: authentic happiness. The inner peace of mind, body, and soul that comes from living in Truth and connecting with the Christ within. I spend so much time condemning my feelings, those that I am so loathe to speak, only I can deem them nasty or petty. I am just beginning to see the irony there. Instead of fixating on my negative feelings, berating myself for them, and trying to will them away, I can simply acknowledge them and move on. It seems simple enough, yet I know I have quite a bit of work to do. It is such a foreign concept that I can barely wrap my head around it. As it always is when putting faith in something new, my heart knows it is right. So I will pursue the practice of being okay with how I feel, because I am good. And my feelings are just that. Just feelings, and they can't change reality. That's one more lesson in learning to love myself. As a final note, thanks to my sister for nudging me along and loving me enough to get me through times when it's hard to love myself.