That question came to me as I was contemplating the topic for this month’s Bliss Mistress Guide. Ownership implies responsibility. Imagine a beloved object in your home or the structure itself. If you don’t maintain it, it falls apart. Consider the care and feeding of the animals in your life. If you don’t make sure they have nourishing food, fresh air, as well as exercise and play time, they will die. If you neglect your relationships, they will fail to thrive as well. 

Let’s look at your relationship with yourself; something that might be frightening to do. Some of us spend years running away from that inevitability. The truth is, we live with ourselves 24/7; and yet, often look to others to fill in what we believe are missing pieces. Despite life-wounds, we are not incomplete people and need not have another make us whole/holy. 

I am now in the middle of the fifth decade of my life. Life gets pretty ‘lifey’ around here. Rite of passage, normal people stuff like job/career change, kid growing up and moving out, launching himself into his adventures, loss of both of my parents in the past eight years, taking on the role of family matriarch … all of that is to have been expected. Out of the blue events, in the past year of shingles, heart attack, kidney stones and adrenal fatigue, launched ME into adventures too. An inner journey that is a reflection of the outer. Daily, I take my own inventory and ask if I am living authentically, since I have learned that there is no time to waste on worry, no moment to let slide by without letting love lead. Do I sometimes kick up a fuss if things don’t feel ‘fair’?  Sure, I do. Do I question why certain events unfolded in my life as they had?  Naturally.

So, what do I own about myself?

I own that I am human and not just Spirit in a body.

I own that I have a shadow that hides behind the sometimes sparkly façade.

I own that I sometimes feel angry, sad, sacred, jealous and anxious.

I own that I want things my way.

I own that I am both intelligent and wise.

I own that I do things for others, because I can.

I own that I am not totally altruistic, since I benefit from my good deeds.

I own that I am creative.

I own that I am a kick ass therapist/coach with great ideas and interventions.

I own that I have intuitive/psychic abilities that I have allowed to lie dormant for too long.

I own that I am both a people lover and people pleaser, although, more often now, the former, rather than the latter.

I own that I have sold my soul for love at times.

I own that sometimes even the Bliss Mistress get the blues.

I own that I wish things had been different in my marriage.

I own that I could have been a better parent.

I own that I am exceedingly hard on myself.

I own that I have deflected love when it and I wanted to be embraced.

I own that I am sometimes an emotional eater.

I own that I am a recovering workaholic and co-dependent.

I own that I sometimes put things off to the last minute and then scramble to get them done.

I own that I put too much on my schedule so that when I accomplish them, I can give myself an even bigger gold star.

I own that I want to be loved best of all.

I own that I feel judgmental of the behaviors and beliefs of others.

I own that I sometimes feel resentful that other people seem to be more successful than I am.

I own that even after the health crises, I still don’t always practice the best possible wellness routine.

I own that I stay up too late when I know I need sleep.

I own my writing gifts.

I own that I am a good friend.

I own that I have literal and symbolic cleaning of closets to do.

I own that I am impatient at times and want things to move faster.

I own that I am grateful for life as it unfolds.

What do you own about yourself?