Living Who We Are

"Living through enough, we all come to this understanding, though it is difficult to accept:  No matter what path we choose to honor, there will always be conflict to negotiate."  Mark Nepo

Nepo expresses wisdom in saying no matter what path we choose to live, there will be conflict to handle.  If we live our lives to accommodate and please others, we will have the interior conflict that comes with living invisibly.  If we choose to honor our own truth and live by that, we will have conflict with others who want us to remain the same as we always were-- or as they perceive us to be.  It is a critical choice:  live our truth and displease some others some of the time, or live pleasing others which will drain our own life energy.  All of us have experienced the pressure of someone close to us who is wanting us to be more like they want us to be.  That is deadly for us to comply.  Certainly there are compromises within relationships, but that is fine line -- willing to compromise versus giving up the essence of who we are.  Let us choose carefully, for in the end -- it is we who live with the consequences of that choice.