I invite you to take one of your hands,
Palm up,
And to hold it in front of you like this.
And imagine I'm placing a flower.
Into the palm of your hand.
What does that feel like?
So.
And how would you like to hold that flower?
Perhaps gently.
The flower is like a feeling of calmness or contentment.
That probably feels nice to hold.
However,
Now imagine I take the flower and replace it with a small cactus.
So you now have a cactus sitting in the palm of your hand.
How does that feel?
Prickly.
Cactus is like a feeling of irritability.
Anger,
Shame,
Sadness.
And if you were to struggle with the cactus,
What would happen?
Probably get pricked by its needles.
So instead,
Would you be willing to hold the cactus gently like the flower?
It doesn't mean you like it or want it.
But rather you're willing to acknowledge and honor it.
For what it is and as it is.