There was once a young girl
She was a small girl, but she had a huge appetite
A huge appetite for everything
For laughing, for loving, for eating, for sleeping, for learning, for living
There was a serene stillness in her but also a fire that burned fiercely
She was good and kind and funny and strong and independent and quiet and shy and stubborn and prideful and confident and smart and quick and capable and loveable and loving and trusting
She wasn’t special, she was just herself
Until the messages started to filter in
Messages that she breathed in, messages that she felt, messages that she saw on the faces of the children in her class, messages that she saw on the faces of the adults in her life, messages that came in looks and exchanged glances, messages that she heard in words, messages that were whispered to her, messages that were shouted at her, messages that she heard on t.v. and radio, messages that adults threw at each other when she was in the room and they forgot, messages that came in print, messages that she did not really understand except to understand that they were about her, of course they were
The messages told her that she was too quiet, too loud, too smart, too bossy, too dumb, too tall, too big, too thin, too pretty, too opinionated
Too much and yet, not enough
She believed the messages. Why shouldn’t she? She was just a little girl. No one explained that there might be messages out there, but they weren’t necessarily about HER. No one explained that the messages were just words, opinions, thoughts that other little girls heard and believed and told her that she needed to believe too. No one clarified that messages were not necessarily even true. No one thought to tell her that messages were just people's way of explaining and coping with life.
The little girl didn’t know this. She quickly realized that she had to find a way to explain the messages and cope with the messages which she didn’t like but who was she to challenge them? She didn’t want to believe the messages but who was she to argue with other little girls who believed and adults who believed.
So the little girl explained the messages to herself and coped the best she could
She shrunk
She hid
She changed what the messages told her to change about herself
She believed the messages
She thought her thoughts and lived her life according to the messages
She wasn’t particularly happy
She forgot that having a huge appetite was a wonderful thing
She forgot that being herself was a choice
She never learned that not believing the messages was also a choice
Until one day
She discovered Meditation
There once was a woman
She was not a small woman and she had a huge appetite
For everything
She loved that about herself
Messages flew in and out of her head and life all day long
She laughed
She had a choice
Meditation taught her that
She is grateful
She and the little girl Meditate together
They are happy