snakes part four and final!

i had a story weaving session a year ago.
not sure if i ever posted about it.
but you work with visualizations to do
some healing work on yourself.

it was an incredible experience for me.

i traveled deep inside and way down deep
i had to deal with a big big snake.

snakes are tremendously symbolic to me,
apparently. they come at significant times.

anyway.....long complicated weird story short:
this dark scary snake was part of me. it was
the 'shame' part of me. and it needed me to
see it and embrace it and love it.

this memory popped into my head as i thought
of the snakes on my walk today.

and i gasped and almost stopped right there
in the middle of the street.

and i realized the black snakes in that box
of mine were just the same thing but with
other people.

it was not my dark stuff. it was other's
dark stuff. their shame and darkness.

and i realized that their stuff was crawling
on me. and i couldn't let that happen.

at the same time, i couldn't fix their stuff
for them.

i had to face my own snake. see my own stuff,
embrace that and love that. no one can do
that for you.

so while i can have compassion for these people,
and i can understand that their snake stuff
isn't about me....

i have to step aside and let them deal with it.
i cannot fix it.
i cannot change it.

and it has nothing to do with me.
but it does crawl on me if i let it.

and THAT is all that i can do.
take it off and toss it back their way
for them to deal with.

i am stunned at the way the visual brought
me to all of this.
i am about 3,000 pounds lighter than when i
started that walk.
and i feel like i really can finish what i
need to today and get back to my own stuff
unharmed.

the black smoke is gone.
the white smoke is back.

and gratitude is runnin' thru me......