Judith Klemos

I recently published a piece called ‘Acceptance or Judgement’ and then I realized that it was all about judgement and not so much about acceptance. An imbalance I am compelled to remedy.

I find many people have issue understanding the difference between accepting and sanctioning. Let me say this about that.

I accept that you are an alcoholic. It is none of my business how you live your life. How you treat your body. How you deal with things. How your relationships do or don’t work. It is not my place to lecture you, judge you or punish you.

I accept that you have an addiction, but I don’t sanction your addiction. I don’t buy your liquor, but I also do not count your drinks. If I don’t like your behavior when you are drinking then I don’t make plans with you that include alcohol. If I am with you and you begin to drink and act in a certain way that makes me uncomfortable, I remove myself.

I accept it. I accept you. I support you. If you call me intoxicated and need a ride home, I’m coming for you. I got you. That’s acceptance of your right to do with your body, your life, what you choose.

I accept that your path is different than mine. That you don’t see the value of living in high vibration. That you don’t see the Light in everyone. That you don’t believe in magic. That you don’t see messages in every single event of life. I accept it and I don’t judge you for it.

I accept you where you are. Even when I am not there. Even when I can no longer stay with you in that place. Even when I think you’d be happier a few steps ahead. Even when you take a few steps back. I accept you.

I can honestly say that has not been the case in reverse. The most personal decisions I have made have been the most judged by others; even by others who are supposed to accept and support me. I have been demonized by those who should’ve known better and by those who didn’t know me at all. Yet, I did not judge them in return.

I never let them change who I am at my core. I cannot preach about living a higher vibe life, wanting to be free to make my own choices and then turn around and not extend the same courtesy to others – even if they are ‘drawing first blood’. That’s not my style and it never will be.

Accepting others starts with accepting ourselves.

Read that again, for good measure. No, wait. I’ll write it again, for good measure…

Accepting others starts with accepting ourselves.

I find those who’s first inclination is to find something to criticize in someone else, is only externally exhibiting an internal dialogue. I don’t believe you can be judgmental of others unless your internal landscape is filled with landmines of negative self-talk and harsh criticisms. The more you talk about someone else’s flaws the more flaws I know you see in yourself. And right now, your mindset, is in survival mode and you are thrashing about in waters of despair over your head because you can’t see the ocean is of your own making.

If I believe I am tall and someone tells me I am short and I like being short, then I am not offended by their perception of me. I am not affected at all. However, if I don’t like being short and someone comments on how short I am, I would be offended because I want to be seen as taller than I appear. I do not accept that part of myself and want to be something I am not. This creates dissonance and dissonance shows up clearly as attitude and, if not addressed, as illness.

Many do not know that I had malignant melanoma almost 20 years ago. I had not yet begun to understand how our internal world manifests our external world. I did not yet understand how that which was afflicting my energetic and emotional bodies would show up as illness and injury in our physical body.

But this experience launched me into that exploration and I see clearly now, that my lack of healthy boundaries caused my melanoma. Do you see how that correlates? Our skin is our physical boundary. It is what keeps our insides, in and the outside, outside. Our skin protects our insides from the pollutants of the outside world we live in. When we do not honor our emotional and energetic bodies we create dissonance and that dissonance then shows up in our skin.

There are other ways, besides skin cancer, that this sort of dissonance could show up. I don’t want you walking away thinking that our lack of boundaries only shows up as skin cancer. Lack of boundaries could also manifest as weight issues – over or under. It all really depends on the underlying belief that is causing the dissonance.

I could go on forever about all the ways dissonance shows up as illness or injury, but this post is not about that.

The more we learn to see ourselves with kind eyes, the more we will look upon others with kind eyes. I think kind eyes are more powerful than even gratitude, because I think gratitude can be faked. Or maybe just mimicked but not truly gratitude. Kind eyes cannot be mimicked and kind eyes move us away from dissonance.

What are kind eyes? Kind eyes are looking into the mirror, not to check to see what needs to be fixed, but to appreciate our beautiful uniqueness. Kind eyes are looking at others and immediately finding something to love about them.

Kind eyes are the heart’s eyes. They are the Soul’s eyes. They are the Creator’s eyes.

I see you. Like it or not, I see you…and I love you.

~Jade