radical acceptance

There are always certain things that we can depend on and accept just as they are. Laws of nature rule around us. 

For one, no matter where you stand in the world the sun is still there even behind the clouds. Even at night, he sun is reflected off of the moon. 
Two, what goes up, must come down for as much as it can. That is, except in space where there is zero gravity. 
Three, zebras will always be zebras. And bears will always be bears. You can train many animals but you can't take the animal out of them.

The laws of nature were set at the beginning of time and will be the same at the end of time.

In this age, we are deeply dependent on electronics, certain kinds of entertainment, foods, and when any of those are then away, we complain. 
We feel like our rights are being taken away. We've forgotten what all it took in the last 200 years to bring us to this point. We'd rather accept things at face value than remember the price that was paid for our liberties.

The fourth example of a fact we can depend on, is that no matter how hard we try, we cannot undo the past; neither years and years ago, nor the last five minutes. 
The past was and, exists between two realities; the first being the fact that time keeps marching on and what exists in the past, also exists even in the present through the physical effects of the past. Think of this as a ripple reality. One small movement causes the next movement to ripple out like ripples in water when a droplet falls into it.
The second reality, I call the memory reality is one that is more complex, yet simple in its definition. It is our memories that hold the past in the present moment. Experiences, good or bad, are tied to us through the perspective and interpretation that our brain shows us. This perspective can be right, wrong or neither, but it is a process that we all go thru to better understand what is going on around us.

OK so that said, the things that we accept as our reality become our reality by conscious or unconscious choice.

What does this mean? I believe it means different things to each person because each individual’s experiences are perceived various ways. There is a common bond between us simply because we are all humans and have the capacity to perceive so many variables in our lives. We may look at our life one way and another look into our life a different way, but in the end, it is the experience that dictates the outcome of our lives.

Why do I even write about this? It helps me to understand the complexities of my life and accept the realities in my life. There are things I can change and things I cannot. There are experiences that I can control and those I cannot. All add up to what I call my life. Past, Present and Future, all realities combined to create who I was, who I am and who I will be.

The thing about Radical Acceptance is that it takes all the pieces of the puzzle and accepts them to be a part of a bigger picture, even if the pieces are all jumbled together. Accepting situations as they are and learning from them, adapting to them, and struggling through them become a way of life. So I had a traumatic past. Don’t we all experience trauma in some sort of way? It is a part of who I am. So I struggle with mental illness. Don’t we all experience things differently? It doesn’t have to define who I am; it just is a part of me. So I can sit here and write about Radical Acceptance; don’t we all need to keep processing the truths that will set us free? It is a process that one has to accept.

I think of Radical Acceptance as an extreme way to say no to the negativity and fear, and yes to moving forward in my life. Isn’t that what we all want? Don’t we want a positive life well lived and remembered? I know that’s what I want.