Comments on: What Do You Choose to Believe?

By: roberta

roberta — Sun, 01 Oct 2006 08:08:23 +0000

Thank you for your insightful words, Cristine.
I sometimes have difficulty making decisions. Maybe because I have not trusted myself. I have followed what others have told me rather than myself. It is time for me to trust in myself enough to look in the mirror, and ask “what do YOU believe” instead of polling my friends. And, like you, when faced with a gray area, to be brave and hopeful and choose the light. To look for the positive spin instead of the dark spiral. Because I too want hope and forward momentum, because the energy is fun and is better than the alternative.
Thanks for your thoughts… and congratulations on your marriage! I love your new site. It’s good. Take care, xo Roberta

By: kellyrae

kellyrae — Wed, 13 Sep 2006 20:08:49 +0000

choosing to believe in ourselves – yes, that’s the way.

By: pixie

pixie — Mon, 11 Sep 2006 22:01:38 +0000

Indeed, some days we burn the toast. I love this analogy. Being too hard on ourselves is a deeply ingrained cultural characteristic in my opinion-in turn, we can be very hard on others. Seeing clearly and choosing our battles carefully can be a challenge. Being in love with the truth is the only thing I have found to help.
xoxoxo p

By: Kerstin

Kerstin — Mon, 11 Sep 2006 13:01:19 +0000

It speaks highly to your genuine nature, Christine, that you even think about whether to believe the best or not of other people. This process does not even occur to most people.
Doing my best, all the time, sounds like extremely hard work to me and I often begrudge myself because I think that I am not always doing my best. I certainly don’t consciously think about it every minute – am I doing my best or not? Perhaps I should.
As far as other people are concerned I take a slightly more detached view. I prefer to give someone the benefit of the doubt but even if I don’t agree with someone’s action, or treatment of me, I try to understand where they are coming from … often a place of different values and life experiences that enevitably shape a person’s attitude and behaviour. I accept them for who and what they are and then make a choice about whether to continue with a relationship based on my feelings about it, not my perception of theirs.
The only times where my aptitude for empathy fails me is when people intentionally try their best to hurt someone through physical, and emotional, cruelty and violence – for no reason (e.g. having been abused themselves) other than their enjoyment of it.
What your post reminds me of is the power of making choices, we all have it.
Thank you, Kerstin

By: la vie en rose

la vie en rose — Mon, 11 Sep 2006 12:49:21 +0000

very powerful words and such a good reminder to us about the power we have in choosing our lives…or at least the way we life and view our lives…
and by the way, i am totally diggin’ the new site. i can’t stop drooling over your cuba series. it’s the eye candy i need right now as i’m trying to get involved in my own art journal. i don’t really like the journal i bought but ah well. i’ll fill it before i know it and then can get something else.

By: megg

megg — Mon, 11 Sep 2006 11:49:00 +0000

I remember being impressed by her grace through all of that, too. I think that the concept of doing the best that you can do in every moment in very important. Sometimes the best you CAN do is to collapse on the couch – but the important thing is to be okay with and honest about that. I try so hard to see the best in people. Thank you so much for writing this post – it came to me as a gentle reminder exactly when I needed it the most!

By: tali

tali — Mon, 11 Sep 2006 11:16:41 +0000

I remember Jennifer Aniston saying that very clearly as well, being impressed that she could say that she chose to believe even, despite what all the tabloids were saying about them. I find myself quick to believe the worst about people, and I do not want to be that way. I’ve been trying to make a conscious effort to not be so quick to decide that, but it’s been a struggle. I guess the last time I was burned, I was burned good, and wanted to protect myself from that happening again. But I took it too far in the opposite direction. Thank you for this reminder. I’ve saved this entry so I can come back and remind myself when I’m faltering.

By: Jess

Jess — Mon, 11 Sep 2006 10:31:34 +0000

This is just what I needed to hear today. I have struggled a long time with believing in “just doing my best” especially in the last couple of years when it seems like every step I take forward, my world falls apart a little bit more. I constantly remind myself that my best changes from moment to moment.
Thank you for giving me one more reminder today.
I’m so glad that you are back on your blog.