My challenge for you this week is to become aware and mindful of how you define the territory that is yours and yours alone. More specifically, how do you label and define who you are and how do you assert and declare ownership of very specific places on this earth. Some examples will help and by way of introduction. The challenge of the week is not about being aware so you can stop labeling yourself or defining yourself. We all have labels. It is becoming mindful and aware of what labels we attach to ourselves and what territories we associate ourselves with.
Do you tend to think of yourself as a:
- Conservative or Liberal?
- Democrat or Republican?
- East coast or a West coast or Midwest or Southwest person or none of these?
When people ask, “what do you do” what is your answer? A
- Mother
- Housewife
- House husband
- Professor
- Politician
- Lawyer
- Artist
- Researcher
- Plumber
- Salesperson
What do you say when asked, “What do you do?” Do you say
“I’m retired?”
Do you say,
“I’m between jobs?”
What is the label that you most closely associate with? How do you respond when you are ask this question? When people ask me this question I tend to slip myself into different categories depending on the situation. I think of myself as a researcher. I think of myself as a writer. I think of myself as a facilitator or mediator. There are many, many other labels that I identify with.
The second component of defining your territory and becoming mindful of how you stake out your territory is to become aware of those special places that you declare to be yours and yours alone. Perhaps:
- A special chair that you and only you are allowed or invited to sit in.
- A desk that is yours, not a shared desk.
- A walking route that you take which is patently yours.
- A table at a restaurant––when you walk in you are bound and determined to wait for a very specific table because that happens to be your personal table.
- A lane on the expressway that is your lane and not to be shared with anyone else.
- A chair at your own dinner table or breakfast table.
What is your territory and how do you define it?
In some ways I am inviting you this week to become a two-year-old who is very assertive and vocal about their territory. When certain toys are thought to be the two-year-old’s toys, they will very loudly and profusely declare, “Mine.”
The invitation this week then is become aware of the territory that you declare for yourself. The deeper meaning of this exercise will be revealed in just four days from now. May you have a delightful time becoming aware of how you define your territory.
Robert
© Parkinsons Recovery