Opening to Receive

How often do you receive a gift and toss it back in the giver's face? Probably not often, if ever. Yet, we redirect compliments, offers of support, opportunities to engage and connect, right? When a young woman offered her support recently as I sat by the ocean and was sobbing into my journal, I brushed her off, saying "I'm fine...or I'll be fine. No thank you." I did just that. How comforting it would have been to have her get the cup of tea she offered! To accept a hug from her, even. To ask for, and receive! We have been taught to be resilient, independent, to be able to fend for ourselves. We don't like appearing weak, needy, incompetent. Yet, we are not designed to be silos! How do we learn to open to Receive?