Editor’s note: Liberty Forrest, author of several self-help books and a certified Law of Attraction Life Coach, encourages you to magnify the magnificence of your life, even as you recover from a toxic relationship. Read more about Liberty.
By Liberty Forrest, PDHom
Wow. Look at that. Another new day. Isn’t it magnificent?
You might ask, “What’s so magnificent? I have to do this and that and a bunch of other stuff I don’t really want to do. And I’m still dealing with the miseries produced by that toxic relationship!! Can I just go back to bed now, please, and call it a day?”
Well, I don’t know, that’s up to you. But you ask, what’s so magnificent? For one thing, you woke up today. You’re drawing breath. Think about the magnificence of that. Think about what your body is doing, all by itself, without any instruction from you. Automatically, your heart keeps beating, flooding every part of your body with blood, providing fresh oxygen to keep you alive.
Read more: How to recover from the sociopath
All of your organs, tissues, bones and muscles are functioning so you can do all kinds of things. You can move, create, communicate, and live your life. You’re not thinking about it but your body is very busy, doing millions of super cool things quietly behind the scenes, just like the camera crew, the director, producers, and that looooooong list of people you see in the credits but never see in the film. Without them, the film would not exist, no matter how much you pay the actors to show up.
Even if some parts of you are now absent or not working (or not as well as they used to do), you’re still here and you’re well enough to be able to read this. Your brain, your eyes, and your nervous system are all allowing you to absorb and understand what you’re seeing. That’s magnificent!
So this day is here, and it’s also magnificent that you are here. Even if you aren’t feeling it in this moment, it’s still the truth. Just ask anyone who loves you or depends on you, anyone who looks forward to seeing you, or hearing from you. They’ll tell you it’s magnificent that you’re here.
And that’s because you’re magnificent! There’s no one else just like you. Yeah, I know, you’ve heard that before. We’ve all heard that before. But do you ever really think about it? You’re not replaceable. You’re the only “you” who will ever exist. No one else will ever create anything the way you do, whether it’s a conversation, a piece of art, the way you cook, the life you live, the family you build, or the way you contribute to friendships, to the world, or to your own little corner of it. You matter to many people. You mean the world to some. Because you’re magnificent.
Learn more: The miracle in the madness — the pathway to healing from destructive relationships
Today isn’t just another day. Whatever is going on in your life, today is a magnificent gift from the universe. Don’t just sit there staring at it, admiring the pretty big bow, the lovely ribbon and beautiful wrapping paper, and wondering what’s inside. Go on, open it up and see! And let’s not have any of that careful removing-of-the-bow or untying-of-the-ribbon, please. Don’t be painstakingly peeling off the tape so as to preserve the pretty paper. C’mon! Yank off that bow, pull off that ribbon, get your fingers under the edges of that paper and rip it off like an excited little kid would do on Christmas morning! Ooo, it’s exhilarating and ever so satisfying!
It’s already a magnificent day, just because it’s arrived – and just because you’re here. Imagine what it could be if you magnify the magnificence of your life, even as you recover from the toxic relationship, by letting your Spirit tear into that gift! Give it a try, then come back and tell me all about it, okay?
This article was originally published at LibertyForrest.com. Reprinted with permission from the author.
Her husband was a sociopath, and her whole marriage was a lie
What a beautifully written piece! “Magnificent” indeed! Among other things, I couldn’t help reflecting on the “millions of super cool things quietly behind the scenes, just like the camera crew, the director, producers, and that looooooong list of people you see in the credits but never see in the film. Without them, the film would not exist…”
Sad to say, when the film’s action ends, many–perhaps most–people get up and head for the doors. My late wife and I never did that. We were always interested in the details. Besides, we paid to see the whole movie, so why shouldn’t we watch everything we paid for, including the credits? The music alone over the closing credits was usually worth the money, a concert performance in itself. Now and then we might actually be left alone in the auditorium as we watched the screen. Probably the most egregious example was Lord of the Rings, which displayed such a staggeringly long list of contributors and thousands of fans. It must have taken fifteen minutes at least. But in general, it’s well to remember the people who contribute to our lives, or have done in the past. Hollywood movies of the 30s, 40s and 50s had such miserably curt lists of “stars” who appeared in the cast, producer and director, with nothing else to tell us. Unless we go to the “Internet Movie Database” for more detail, a resource not even dreamed of back then. It’s at least of passing interest to know who was the “Key Grip” and the “Best Boy.” And hey, let’s not get sexist about this; wasn’t there ever a “Best Girl” as well? Even if what she did was simply to serve coffee to the film crew–which was very likely back then–she still played a vital role in keeping up the morale of the team as a whole.
On a more tragic note, somewhere in my (“our”) DVD collection among the credits I think can dig up the name of Diane Chenery-Wickens. If her name doesn’t ring a bell with anyone on this side of the pond–or even on the other side–Diane was one of those “minor” yet essential and talented contributors to a movie who won prizes as a makeup artist–in this case for a production of Jane Austen’s “Pride and Prejudice.”
Unfortunately Diane was murdered–by a husband who very much fitted the role of one of those psychopathic conmen so often discussed here. And as I followed the story of the investigations back in 2008, I couldn’t help being struck by the swiftness of British police in nailing her killer, compared with the slowness of American police in nailing Drew Peterson here for a similar wife murder–more than one, in fact–taking place at the same time. That’s all “another story,” as Kipling put it. Still, it was good to see Diane’s name remembered among the credits for her movie achievements, and not merely as a murder “victim.” People’s lives matter, even if they’re “only” makeup artists (as important and talented as they can be) and not international stars.
My only argument with Liberty Forrest’s article is why would we choose to rip the beautiful bow and packaging off our gift as though it were worth nothing, and all we wanted was what was inside? Isn’t that disrespectful and unappreciative of whoever wrapped the gift for us with such care? Oh, I’m sure we can all understand the impatience of a child as he or she tears the packaging aside in eagerness to discover what’s inside. These are childlike, forgivable traits. Yet I have to say that as an adult I always preferred to unwrap a gift neatly, taking my time carefully slitting the wrapping paper with a sharp knife, savoring the anticipation of what might lie inside–and appreciating the fact that someone who loved (or at least “liked”) me had taken the trouble to make the gift look attractive for me, from the colorful sheen of the paper to the little bow on top. These details deserve gratitude.