Hug The Cactus

This weekend I saw a video shared of Robert Downey Jr receiving the American Cinematheque Award in 2011, where he honoured Mel Gibson for giving him a film opportunity where no one else would even consider him because of his wrongdoings. He had turned to alcohol and was in a very difficult place personally. He named taking responsibility for our wrongdoings and taking facing the parts of us that we deem ugly 'hugging the cactus'

The imagery of a cactus is such a powerful one - prickly exterior and painful if you touch it! Definitely not an easy object to hug. But it's such a beautiful metaphor torepresent painful memories of past mistakes, trauma, shame, guilt, and other difficult aspects of ourselves that we often try to avoid

Challenges are part of being human, but it's how we learn to deal with them which makes us who we are

It's a reminder that often we forget to meet ourselves with the same humility that we would give to others when they are in need.

Whenever life feels a little prickly, remind yourself to hug the cactus - because when you meet your challenges with softness and openness instead of fear, they lose their power... and you rise stronger

No matter how prickly something might seem, there is always a way through it

Sending so much love

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