The Truth makes life Easier to Live
One Saturday morning, my husband and I wanted to go out to eat for breakfast instead of cooking in. Afterwards our young children asked if we could go to the mall to see Santa Claus. It was the holidays and this was one of our family traditions. Instead of just saying that I didn’t feel like going or wasn’t dressed for the mall, I made up a story about how there was a long line and that it would take too long. After much discussion and feeling guilty, we drove home and hung out in the house. In the back of my mind I felt bad about the little lie that I had shared with my young children.
After lunch, my son went down for his nap and my daughter and I began working on a big puzzle. As I was doing the puzzle with my daughter, my thoughts were still going over and over how I had just introduced this concept to my children. I found myself asking questions and wondering about all the “what ifs” and wondering why my husband didn’t really mind and just was working on his own projects in the garage.
When my son woke up from his nap, he was ready to go to the mall. As he brought it up, my daughter who was now fully engaged in our puzzle now, quickly jumped in and created a new story that wasn’t true on top of my earlier story. In that moment, I realized just how powerful our stories—true or false—can be. They can hold us back from what is and for creating false realities.
Have you ever told small lies to persuade a choice you want? Have you ever felt bad about your decisions when you saw how others trusted you? That story made me realize just how important it is to watch what we think, say, and act on. It also made me realize how exciting our life can be when we can pick what we choose and focus our mind on. Instead of letting our internal fears get in our way, we can just make a choice and stick to it. Instead of making up a story about a long line, I could have just as easily said no know is not the right time.
And I have to say I learned a lot from that day. I began telling the truth and when I had a fear or didn’t want to do something, I began saying why. I am so happy that I changed that day because it has given me so much more time to do what I love and be with those I love. And, in the long-term I believe my children and friends/family can trust me more than most.
One other advantage to being honest is that you don’t have to try to remember what you told someone. You simply live as your life is. Your words match your experiences and thus, even the words in your mind are quiet. You live more present and for that it’s like giving yourself a present every single day.
Here are some ideas:
1. If you want to go eat out, say where you want to eat. If the people with you don’t agree, then choose if you will get food from a couple places or make a decision to trade off who chooses where to eat.
2. If your child wants to do something that doesn’t sound fun to you, know you can go with the flow and just do it. Kids usually have ideas that turn out to be more fun than you can imagine. For instance, jumping in rain puddles can be a blast!
3. When you want to take a nap, try not to make an excuse and just take the nap. Set a timer so that your nap stays a nap and rejuvenates you instead of draining you.
What other ideas can help you live more in line with the life you can love? Share below…
