Love the Painful Places

12 DAYS OF CREATIVITY
DAY 7

When the Grinch of Past Pain appears we can feel like we’ve just opened up a bag full of coal rather than a gift made of joy.

THE HOLIDAYS CAN DO THAT FOR MANY OF US, REMIND US OF PARTS OF OUR PAST WE WISH TO FORGET.

TODAY, LET’S BRING SOME LOVE TO THESE PAINFUL PLACES.

When I was in South Africa I hired an entrepreneurial tour guide, Isaac, to show me Soweto.

He took me to the gold mine museum in Joburg (Johannesburg).

At first, I wasn’t sure how gold was relevant to my interest in SOWETO. In fact, I was a bit annoyed. I wasn’t interested in gold.

But after listening to Isaac, I realized he was telling me the story behind the story.

To understand SOWETO, I needed to understand British colonialism and the practices and divisions set up during that time that remain today.

For me to see meaning in the SOWETO of today I needed to know how SOWETO came to be. From this perspective, I could also see where Isaac came from and better understand the ways he is reclaiming the past and pushing forward into a brighter future.

Who you are today is related to your past.

Can you draw inspiration from your past - acknowledge it and embrace it?

What lessons have you learned?

Knowing where you’ve come from and what you’ve overcome has value.

Can you take these moments of memory and rather than contracting, find a way to expand?