From the editor...
“May I?”
Growing up there was a game we kids used to play and the main object of the game was to ask permission each time you wished to take a step forward. If you failed to ask permission before you made a step, you would be penalized and moved backwards, thereby, losing your position.
I was reminded of this game earlier this year when a good friend invited me along on a trip she was making to France. She knows how much in love I am with this country and what a treat it would be for me to come along. Although she did not say so, I would imagine she was quite surprised when I did not immediately respond by saying YES! Instead my response was I would have to give it some thought. Over the following two and a half months, I thought about all the things that were going on in my life, i.e. the magazine, new television show, bills, etc. and wondering if I should make the trip — even though it was a gift. After pondering for much too long I made the decision, finally realizing that there is always going to be something that will require my attention, and if not now, when?
I spent what turned out to be nine amazing days in the south of France and even now I cannot believe what in effort it was for me to grant myself permission to live.
Like so many people, I find myself worrying about things over which I have absolutely no control. So what if the housing market is in the dumps or there are wars either going on or looming on almost every continent.
What I have come to realize is the only space that any of us can control is that space that is directly beneath our feet. We cannot control when sickness, loss of income, loss of friendships, or even loss of life of someone dear to us, but what we can control is how we respond to life in spite of what happens.
I am often reminded of the big lesson of that childhood game and the fact that each of us, in order to live out what we came here to do, must begin to grant ourselves permission each and every day and to live as though our very existence depends on it. This does not mean that we should stop concerning ourselves with matters that require our attention, but it does mean that in the process, we should remember that what makes for a good life is balance. We must remember to grant ourselves permission to laugh and cry, work hard and rest, run and stand still; and to do it without hesitancy or regret. Life is not always going to grant us what we ask for, but amazingly it always grants us what we need.
“Mother May I... YES YOU MAY!”
Deigratia,
Bonnie
