 It's remarkable how a single word can hold such profound depth, far beyond its common understanding. I often find myself drawn to exploring the true essence of words, dissecting their meanings to uncover the layers that might be lost in everyday use. One word that consistently captivates me is the Hebrew term, shalom. Ask most people what "shalom" means, and you'll almost certainly hear "peace." It's true, the traditional Hebrew greeting literally translates to "Peace be with you." Yet, my heart often feels a pang of sadness knowing that most people live their lives without truly grasping the full, expansive meaning of this beautiful word.
Beyond a Simple Translation As someone who appreciates the nuances of language, I understand that when a word crosses from one tongue to another, subtle shades of meaning are often sacrificed for the sake of simplicity. This is especially true for shalom. While it's easy to accept it as a mere wish for peace, its true significance is far grander. To offer someone shalom isn't just to wish them an absence of conflict. It's a deeply loving aspiration for their complete personal wholeness, a profound sense of peace that frees them from worries and cares—a spiritual calm. When you wish someone shalom, you're expressing a desire for them to receive everything it takes to feel truly satisfied, to be entirely at peace within themselves. This is the incredible advantage of understanding more than one language; it unlocks a path to appreciating the inspiring concepts and sublime subtleties that are often lost in translation. My Heartfelt Wish for You I share this exploration of shalom because it embodies my deepest wish for you, the individual reading these words. Today, I don't just wish you peace; I wish you shalom in your life, and with it, the unwavering belief that this profound state is entirely attainable. My hope is that you embrace its complete meaning, truly visualize it within your mind, and then allow yourself to experience peace in the fullest measure and intent of shalom. For me, the essence of shalom is beautifully articulated in a passage from ancient wisdom, Isaiah 58:11: "…And the Lord will guide you continually and satisfy your desire in scorched places and make your bones strong; and you shall be like a watered garden, like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail." This imagery speaks not of fleeting calm, but of sustained vitality, inner strength, and enduring contentment. So, wherever life finds you, and whatever path you choose to walk, I extend to you my heartfelt "Shalom"—not merely peace, but a comprehensive wholeness and satisfaction in every facet of your life. It's a wish for your complete well-being, now and always.
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 Embracing Authentic Existence
One of my deepest desires is to cultivate a world where every individual can simply be, exactly as they choose. I genuinely believe we're all meant to be healthy and whole. Nothing is more valuable than having the freedom—the permission, or even better, no need for approval at all—to simply exist. But this isn't a passive state. Sometimes, we encounter people who are making choices purely out of survival, not from a place of thriving. In these moments, it's crucial to offer them the resources they need to truly live again. Other times, we meet those who are unsure of their own desires. For them, we must provide the means to embark on their unique life journeys. Every path is distinct; there's no universal blueprint. This means our assistance must be tailored, not based on what worked before or for others, but by understanding their inimitable needs and adapting our efforts accordingly. And some, I've learned, need no intervention at all. To truly make space for varying existences and foster equity in our unequal society, we must be not universal, but adaptable to the ever-changing circumstances of our community. Some individuals effortlessly embody who they are, while others must exert profound effort to realize their own unique essence. Regardless of who they are or where they are on their path of self-discovery, they matter. It's unfair to claim "we all matter" without acknowledging the importance of each distinct person and their exclusive needs. Our Interconnected Humanity Inviting true individuality into the world demands a tapestry of unique approaches. To truly "be" in this chaotic existence means different steps for different people. It's naive to desire a world where people are allowed to be unique, yet fail to recognize that their diverse backgrounds bring needs dissimilar to our own. It’s also unfair to believe we can offer meaningful support without first understanding who we are and what strengths we possess. Our strengths and weaknesses vary from person to person; it doesn't diminish us or elevate us above others. We simply need to appreciate these facets within ourselves and, crucially, appreciate them in everyone else. Without that profound consideration, we silence the distinctive vibrations that must unite to create the vibrant movement towards our ever-evolving future. As the inspiring Bishop Desmond Tutu so eloquently stated, "differences are not intended to separate, or to alienate. We are different precisely in order to realize our need of one another." It is this very idea—the understanding that our differences are our interconnected strength—that will unlock a world that feels limitlessly expansive. We don't need identical blueprints to understand the greater purpose. We simply need to begin with ourselves, recognizing the shared responsibility we have for those who lean on our strengths. While our strengths uplift those struggling with their weaknesses, their strengths, in turn, illuminate and fortify our own flaws. To truly "be" means to show profound respect for everyone we share this world with. Let us be encouraged to make this vision happen; let us feel welcomed and empowered to make our unique contributions truly count. Namaste.  “Praise be to the God who sustains me!” – a common church praise I grew up hearing and saying. It is a phrase that is recited mechanically and repeated over and over without reflection. I never really thought about it until one day I considered what the word sustained really meant. It is a word that means to remain at a given level. No more, no less. This can be applied when examining the fact that if God sustains my life, He is just maintaining me at that last breath.
Barely breathing. Life is more than taking one breath after the other. I have learned that life never stays where it started. In a spiritual sense, God built me from the ground and gave me the breath of life to get going, but in that same story, He also built a ladder for me to climb. I was never meant to live at the bottom. No one is. We were meant to grow and climb rung by rung to each level of life’s achievable hierarchy, inspiring a growing desire in our hearts to continue upward. This desire motivates us to face increasingly difficult challenges, and it provides us with the confidence needed to keep fear from forcing us to retreat down the ladder. The result is a metamorphosis that changes us from a static life into an indomitable spirit. Without this process, what God has to offer is obscured. A lack of this realization – that God has more to offer than just superficial sustainability- left me feeling aimless and without purpose. How could I see the potential in myself if I was okay living with the minimum necessities to survive? I realized that was not sufficient. No more would I question, “to be or not to be”; I was never meant merely “to be.” To see myself as a prized treasure, I would need to be open to better things – a vision of what could be possible. How could I expect to meet my successful self if I was satisfied sustaining my beginning self? I couldn’t. It was during the stagnant phase of my life that I remember my heart feeling empty. This apparent void was due to the fact that I ignored what God had put there all along- unlimited potential. It is this potential that would spark a new way of seeing myself- a Sky who was blessed and worthy of deeper satisfaction and happiness. I was not made to fill a space here in this life using as little as I could thereby allowing others to progress as I stayed behind. I had to remind myself that I am loved, and that my life was never destined to remain near the bottom rung with limited quality and meaning. It simply waited for me to make the decision to climb the ladder to the next level and receive the rewards that came along with each ascending effort. To merely be, or to be open to betterment- that is the real question. Info: Writings were published in a LGBT magazine in South Florida called That Girl About Town in the early 2010s. This post was transferred over from another blog to this one - thus, the date of publishing is not accurately portrayed.  I've always found navigating social connections a challenge. While my relationships are good, they never quite matched the idealized versions I saw depicted in movies. For a long time, I attributed this to CPTSD or anxiety, and those were certainly factors. Then came an ADHD diagnosis, which explained a lot, but still not everything. What's been truly transformative recently, and what those close to me have noticed most, is the positive shift since I started therapy for my new, unofficial Autism diagnosis.
Each diagnosis provides a unique lens through which I understand myself and how I interact with the world. They overlap, but each offers crucial insights. Instead of masking my "fire" due to learned low self-esteem and a fear of annoying others, ADHD therapy taught me to embrace and manage it. Where PTSD led me to over-protect myself and react negatively, I've learned to proactively decide my responses, not letting the world control me. The Autism diagnosis is now filling in the remaining gaps. Here's the real kicker when using the Autism lens: the way I see the world isn't how the world generally sees the world. And being a genius in emotional or mathematical intelligence doesn't automatically mean success. At the end of the day, a broken world is gonna keep working like a broken world, and we all just need to figure out how to navigate it as it is. For me, that means breaking down social rigidities I didn't even realize I had, learning to communicate my boundaries in a way the world understands, and most importantly, accepting the world for what it is, not just what it claims to be. I'm sharing this because I know many who follow my journey due to my openness about PTSD may relate. If you've read this far and it resonates with you, here's what I recommend you try on your own journey: Empower yourself with better vocabulary. Ask your therapist for help with this. Don't gloss over your general feelings; one emotion can have many facets, each with its own voice and its own solution. Seek feedback from your therapist. Explore who you are instead of trying to fit into a single label. In other words: A beautifully complicated you is a beautifully unique you. Don't be afraid to learn about yourself in the way you were meant to be discovered. Discover yourself first and then the world will be easier to navigate. |
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