Permission to Be Human

My teacher, Tal Ben-Shahar, has a saying that I love; Give yourself and others permission to be human. None of us are perfect. We all make mistakes so we shouldn’t be too hard on ourselves or others when mistakes happen. Sometimes these can be very serious or hurtful mistakes that cause us or others pain. However, if we are resilient and hardy (like a weed …) we can grow and learn from these experiences. Like the Sufi poet Rumi quotes – “The wound is the place where the light enters you.” And “How can you be polished if you are irritated by every rub?” When we forgive ourselves, we are more able to forgive others. When we forgive others, they are more able to forgive others. Be the next link in the chain of forgiveness.