Alignment and community gardening

Alignment. Some say fix the outsides and the insides will follow. Others say the opposite. By fixing the body, our attitude changes, our mood changes. But how long will holding our shoulders back and our chest out keep our mood elevated, confident?

One of the things that came up last year was this idea of community. In the past, I haven't been one to talk much about community, because even though community can be awesome, we can also start unconsciously behaving in a "community acceptable manner" and I think that one of the potential powers of community is that we have the support and freedom to explore who we really are. Thinking about this, the idea aligning myself with communities where I can truly "be myself" came up. And as I thought of that, I said, “yes, that all sounds fine and good. but is it really the answer?” Its easy and refreshing to be with those who I feel I can be myself. But what I really want is freedom. Freedom from feeling that I have to be anything other than myself no matter where I am. So if I get my head right, I’ll get back to the garden. (thanks Joni). In other words, when my head space changes and I decide that i’m going to be myself, not try to please or whatever other self-nullifying trips I put on myself, then I will rest inside all communities. 

Those who don't want to hang out or hang around will at some point fade away. But I wont fade away into a community where I feel less than, because I will know and embody the concept of “equal to.” I respect myself enough to be myself, and in that practice, it strengthens my ability to let others be themselves. The alignment process begins and because of my internal space, my external space will support that. And vice versa.

We can change our jobs, our friends, our families, our locations, our bodies. We can set ourselves up for alignment with what we think is our Purpose in life, or the life we truly want to be living. And at some point, the head space needs to match that. So you can be living in hell while sitting in paradise. You can be freaking out while your shoulders are back and your chest is out. 

Or you can work on your head space, the mind field, field of dreams, fields of gold. And then when you make that external shift, the “alignment” will stick. You'll change jobs and feel more at home because your insides will be in alignment with your outsides. Your new relationship will be different from the last. You’ll be back to the garden.

And remember, there is no right and wrong here. The garden grows regardless. That's what is so cool about it. Because we really never left the garden. We are the garden.