Patti Gatto Walden recently talked at the state gifted conference. She taught us her theory of self. Your essence, your soul, your spirit, the part that animates you as a person--she refers to as your "Golden Core". She says that the other layers that surround it are our roles, masks, and protections. Our careers, our beliefs, our skills, our behaviors. What struck me about this analogy was this final comment, "Discord and disharmony between people happens when one fails to see the Golden Core of the other."
Wow! This fits my orientation to my husband, my children and my co-workers when I am not living life from my heart. It especially shook me as I thought about how often I bristle at my husband's behaviors and feel annoyed by him, even though I love him and admire him for who he is at that root level. Another "wake up" moment.
Taking this lesson a bit further, I know that I forget about my own Golden Core quite regularly, though mindfulness is certainly helping me make inroads in that respect. Any time I remember to take a breath, tune in, and feel my inner and outer body, I am able to accept and appreciate who I am right now, not as a human being living a spiritual life, but as a spiritual being, living a human life.
Wow! This fits my orientation to my husband, my children and my co-workers when I am not living life from my heart. It especially shook me as I thought about how often I bristle at my husband's behaviors and feel annoyed by him, even though I love him and admire him for who he is at that root level. Another "wake up" moment.
Taking this lesson a bit further, I know that I forget about my own Golden Core quite regularly, though mindfulness is certainly helping me make inroads in that respect. Any time I remember to take a breath, tune in, and feel my inner and outer body, I am able to accept and appreciate who I am right now, not as a human being living a spiritual life, but as a spiritual being, living a human life.
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