Gossip

This is my first blog post on the topic of spiritual principles and how opportunities arise, moment to moment and day to day, for me to practice what I know and put these principles to work in real life.  I hope that some of what I share will be helpful to somebody.  If not helpful, I hope it will be entertaining.  At the very least, I’m trusting that the process of writing about my experiences will help me to learn and to grow and to continue to move steadily forward along my spiritual path.   Here goes . . . 

I have this friend.  She’s a relatively new friend, and for some reason this particular friend activates all of my insecurities.  When I am with her, I am catapulted back to my teenage self, and I find myself scrambling to belong, to feel validated, and to know, for once and for all, that who I am is okay. 

On some level, I am very aware that this woman and I are equals; that she and I are cut from the same cloth, both beloved children of God; that each of us has her strengths and weaknesses; and that each has her unique talents to share with the world.  On this level, I am cool and collected, and I interact with this friend from a centered, empowered perspective.

On another level, though, I am completely undone by this person.  There is something about her that reminds me of the popular girls in school and puts me in close touch with that part of myself that feels inadequate, weak, shameful, and desperate for acceptance.

So, here’s my struggle (as if my aforementioned scrambling to belong isn’t struggle enough) - this new friend has become my running partner.  She and I hit the sidewalks of our little town three times a week at 6 a.m. and spend twenty to thirty minutes panting our way through conversations about everything from what our kids are doing in school to our deepest, darkest fears.  

Lately I have discovered that one of the ways I attempt to connect with this friend during our morning runs is by gossiping with her. She seems to enjoy gossip and has all the latest news on everything and everyone in our school community.  

Now I am aware of the negative energy that surrounds gossip.  I know that in the realm of practicing Unity principles, gossip falls under the umbrella of things you don’t do as you practice using your thoughts and words to create a new and better reality.   And yet, day after day, week after week, I find words tumbling out of my sweat-covered face that clearly do not serve any positive purpose whatsoever.  And it’s as if I have no power to stop them . . . until recently.  

I’ve been listening to a program called “Prosperity Plus: A New Way of Living” by Mary Morrissey, and also to an audiobook called “The Science of Getting Rich” by Wallace Wattles.  In both programs, which are aimed at helping listeners learn to access the abundance - in all areas of life - which God so freely gives, the authors discuss the idea of being a "person of increase."  To be a person of increase is to commit consciously to leaving every situation or interaction you encounter having made it better than when you entered.  Often this is as simple as bringing a smile or a compassionate ear to a conversation.  

My new commitment is to be a person of increase in my interactions with my running partner.  Each day, as I walk down to her house to begin our run, I remind myself of my intention.   And with each step along our route, I try to be aware of the words I am speaking and to be sure that my words serve to uplift and not to diminish in any way.  I am committed to this practice because I am committed to knowing God's abundant love more fully in my life. 

I’ll let you know how it goes.  

~REBECCA