from images to integration

with my mom (in my early 20s)     our permanent residence has just sold. and my family and i are about to embark on a take-flight adventure. closing date = may 30. destination = freedom.     i've been going through boxes and boxes and boxes of personal stuff. things i've dragged with me from one location to another over the years. saying goodbye to trappings, keeping only the significant. symbolizing endings as well as a new beginning. bittersweet moments indeed.

several weeks have been spent reliving crucial events that have shaped who i am. and which were influenced by who i am as well. this enforced replay of my life has been a highly emotional experience for me. yet also a deeply gratifying one.

i've cried. i've laughed. i've remembered. and i've realized that i've had a good life. a very good life.

i'm not endorsing carrying around "crap" (as one box was aptly labeled). some of these boxes went from seattle all the way to alaska. and then back again to the west coast! (i'm a bit embarrassed to admit that.)

but i sincerely wouldn't trade this introspective excursion for anything. "this is your life." fifty years condensed into one month. it has been a genuinely meaningful and phenomenal process.

all of the places i've lived. all of the people i've met. births. deaths. vacations. jobs. celebrations. tribulations. sunny times. dark times.

so anyway . . .

i've come across photos. a lot of photos. from my childhood. college. wedding. kids. travels.

i'm not a photo album/scrapbook kind of person. about 12 years ago, i did start storing my photos in boxes. fairly well organized, labeled by date.

but there were many pictures before that period that were never corralled. and, as i came across envelopes and stacks and handfuls of these images, i found myself engaging in an exercise that i've assigned to clients in the past. maybe you'd like to try it too.

select several photos of yourself through the years that speak to you. pictures that strongly affect you in some way - whether positive or negative. spread them all out in front of you in chronological order. and take in the story that unfolds before your eyes.

who is that little girl looking back at you? what is that young woman trying to say to you?

the idea behind this exercise is integration. instead of isolating your different selves at different points in your life, strive for integration of the whole. recognize and appreciate your unique experiences that have blended together. to create the individual you are today. remember to always include that little girl and that young woman. in the mental picture of "you" that you carry around in your head.

of course, there is more to self-integration than this. such as integrating mind, body, and soul. integrating various parts of one's personality. keeping the self intact. i could go on and on.

but this is a perfect place to begin, with those images acquired over the years. trying to recapture how you were feeling and what you were thinking at those times. and in what ways that has determined who you are today. fabulous self-exploration.

leading an integrated life is very important to me. in fact, i've made it part of the essence7 wellness platform. because i think it is critical to discovering your true essence. living the best life you can live. the how and what and why that makes you come alive.    

with my oldest son (who is 20 years old himself now).     my natural inclination is to uproot every so often. and pursue a free-form existence. that's what i've discovered about myself. that i am not a "roots" type of person. i'm restless, always wanting to move on. (the picture on the turquoise steps? taken right before our relocation to the last frontier!)

[i have so many other photos that i wish i could have shared to help illustrate this idea. but, alas - they are sitting in a box in my living room waiting to be loaded. and i am currently in the neighboring state where they will be stored. we've been going back and forth, back and forth, during this transition.]     i invite you to try my exercise. how have your images coalesced to form your unique approach to being in this world? what is your destination?

integrate the pieces of your life into one beautiful whole. tell your story. please share your discoveries in the comments.         [maxbutton id="1"]