Love, Truth, Beauty, Wisdom. These and all things flow from acceptance.

Strength, Balance, Change, Healing, Success. These and all things grow from acceptance.

Acceptance is not passive, it is active. It is the act of attention. It is noticing and allowing. It is awareness, clear sight. It is discernment, not judging.

Acceptance is nothing like resignation or defeat. Acceptance is the victory of recognizing things as they are.

Acceptance is acknowledging things as they are…instead of wishing/pretending/faking that things are otherwise.

When I accept myself as I am, then I am truly ready to change. When I accept myself as I am--unvarnished, honest, utterly human, in all my flaws and features--then I can truly give the wounded one within me the safety to heal. When I accept myself as I am, that is the moment I stop abandoning myself.

When I accept myself as I am, I become aware that I change from moment to moment, that I am my body as much as my mind, my spirit as much my emotions.

When I accept myself as I am, I conquer fear, resolve greed, calm craving, and allow grief.

When I accept myself as I am, I have room to feel my anger without it overwhelming me or forcing me to act harmfully. When I accept myself as I am, my anger fades like a fist that opens and becomes a hand.

Accepting myself as I am builds the spiritual muscle to accept others as they are. I become ready to forgive. I notice my inescapable forward movement. I experience joy and sorrow and draw nourishment and wisdom from both. The knot in my stomach unwinds, and becomes the knowledge in my gut.

I become fertile soil that germinates the seeds of love, truth, beauty, and wisdom.

--Evan Kimble. July 11, 2008