Another Pleasantly Disturbed Thurdsay

We need to encourage our kids to stand up for the underdog, to stop minding their own business and get involved. Kathy Richards

I work in a world where underdogs fight for the right to be topdog -- that's when they're not simply fighting to survive.

It never ceases to amaze me how bullying can happen, even at 'rock bottom'.

We have clients who bully clients. We have staff who bully staff. Staff who bully clients.

You name it, there's always a bully around when you least want one.

At least that's how it seems when I encounter bullying in the work place.

Kathy Richards over at Katdish wrote a piece this morning about bullying. In it she tells how her 13 year old son, along with all his schoolmates, signed a "No bullying contract". It was a joke, he said. They signed it and those who bullied went right back to doing what they always did. And those who were bullied went right back to taking what they always took -- being bullied.

Sort of like the belief -- a restraining order will keep an abusive partner away.

It really is just a piece of paper. And if someone is intent on being a bully, or being abusive, that's what they will do until such time as we make it impossible for them to do it in our lives. I can't stop an abuser being an abuser. I can stop abuse in my life.

I can't change you doing what you do. I can change what I let you do in my life.

I can change what I do in my life. I can change my life.

A friend called me yesterday to comment on my blogs of late. "There's a real shift," he said. "You're not writing about Conrad much anymore at all."

Yup. there's a shift. But, as I reminded him, I don't write about Conrad because he's on my mind. I generally write about him because the parallels of that journey with my life today, the teachings and learnings and growth I experienced through that journey, are powerful. And I want to share my hope, strength and encouragement.

We can fall and hit rock bottom.

We can also choose to get up.

And when we get up, we get to choose whether we dance in the light of a new day dawning, or crawl through the muck of a dark night of the soul ending.

Me, I want to dance.

I want to sing.

I want to laugh and cry and revel in the wonder of my life unfolding in this moment now.

No matter how messy, no matter how dark, let me dance.

It is always my choice.

And, the documentary about that journey aired on VIVA television last week. I missed it -- I was in New York.

But, several people have commented who saw it and said it was really well done.

Whew!

I've been kinda nurturing some ego-driven angst. You know. If only I'd lost that 30 pounds. What if people think I'm stupid. What if I come off looking like an idiot?...

All ego stuff that really doesn't do anything but make me feel less than. And I have no need to make myself feel less than -- unless I'm playing the victim game of hiding my light behind the shadow of my insecurities.

And that's just me bullying me into playing small.

But still... if only I'd lost that 30 pounds!

As I told my eldest daughter last night, in those moments when you want to beat yourself up, just say, "Wow! Aren't I fascinating!"

Seriously, I participated in that documentary, and asked my daughters and friends to be part of it so that we could demonstrate that life has its dark moments -- but when we step into the light of love, the darkest moments pale in comparison to the brilliance of our living our best life yet.

And, from what I've gathered, the documentary tells a compelling story.

cool.

And, I'm up early today because I've got a lot to do for the next two days so that I can leave on Saturday with a relatively clean desk.

That's right, C.C. and I are off to Barbados for two weeks of indolence under the sun.

I am taking my laptop -- I do have a proposal to get into a funding agency for a grant for the art program at the shelter where I work. And it is due next week and I've been up to my eyeballs in preparations for our Executive Director's retirement announcement tomorrow and then the big event celebrating his 16 years of service to the agency and his career, in November.

And... This is My City Society is launching Nov 4 as soon as I get back and I've got a lot of things to do for it.

And... I've got a newsletter to put to bed by tomorrow.

And... we're launching a new internal staff website.

And...

well, you get the picture. Life is busy.

Life is grand.

Life is what I make of it.

A bowl full of pits. Or, a bowl full of cherries.

Me, I'm going for the juicy.

Have a great day.

Oh, and by the way, this is another Pleasantly Disturbed Thursday hosted by the irrepressible Duane Scott.

Why not join in? Share your random thoughts on what it means to live on the pleasant side of disturbed and get into the party mood of living it up Pleasantly Disturbed. Now, I should mention, Duane doesn't appear to have written a Vol 15. of PDT but that's okay. I enjoy my PDT ramblings anyway!