What’s a soulmate? I’ve heard many theories and definitions of what a “soulmate” actually is, and my favorite is this: “A soulmate is someone who completes me.” While I love the poetry behind this idea, it suggests that we are incomplete until we reunite with the lost half of our soul. It’s as if our soul and our soulmate’s souls are puzzle pieces that combine to form a beautiful picture.
But what if you’re soul wasn’t broken up? What if your soul was complete, whole and beautiful inside of you? What if you’re not “incomplete”, but you only think you are?
A friend reminded me today of a quote in the New Testament. Jesus said, “Love thy neighbor as thyself.” Look at that quote, and I’m sure the words that stand out to you are “love” and “neighbor”. But what about “thyself”? When’s the last time you loved yourself or were generous to yourself? When’s the last time you forgave yourself for doing something you regretted? When’s the last time you treated yourself to something special? When’s the last time you loved yourself like you’d love your soulmate?
Love is a quality that cannot be found because it cannot be lost. Love always lives within each and every one of us. Sometimes we might not be present to the feeling of love because we deny it within ourselves. But it’s always there — waiting for us to let go of the hose so that it can easily flow out. Love is always available for us! And if love’s always available for us, what’s stopping you from letting it be present for you? You might be holding a grudge against someone who has wronged you, and so you hold back the love. You might be worried about a deadline or being safe in the future, and so you hold back the love. You might even be beating yourself up about something you wish you hadn’t done, and so you hold back the love. But ultimately who’s being denied the love? It’s you! And who’s denying you the feeling of love? You too! And if you knew you were consciously denying love to your soulmate, would you keep love from him/her? Or would you do everything in your power to make sure your soulmate felt comforted, supported and loved?
As Christmas and the Holidays are upon us, and we share tidings of comfort and joy, let us remember that the expression of joy and love start from within ourselves. If we treat ourselves as our soulmates, we have no reason to withhold love from our life. In fact, we have every reason to stoke the love-fire of our soul and give blessing for the fact that we really are whole, perfect and complete. And as we allow our light to shine, we give people the opportunity to unleash their own love within themselves. And to me that’s the true meaning of Christmas! Do you hear what I hear? It’s your soul wanting to share it’s love with the world! Let it out to play. And Happy Holidays!
Sometimes the beauty of sharing is a bit overwhelming. I just watched the new T-mobile video where groups of “random strangers” use their voices to welcome home people at Heathrow Airport. It’s beautiful!
I always find myself inspired after watching spectacles where a crowd comes together to share joy with each other and other people. I think it’s because there’s a palpable sense of happiness that spreads to everyone around. It’s as if a switch turns everyone from “Auto-pilot” to “Present”. And it reminds me that the world is filled with possibilities — that there’s a larger world out there that makes fears and worries seem trivial and small.
It’s easy to think about negative events that could befall us, but that’s only because that’s our habit. It’s harder to think about positive events that could uplift us, because we spend too much time thinking about the shouldn’ts and the couldn’ts and the uh-oh’s and the wrongs. However, we can train ourselves to spend more time thinking about the greater world of joy that we all know is out there — that we all know we can experience and that we have experienced. And the best way to start is to have something that wakes us up — something that reminds us that beauty and possibility are around us — something that inspires us to think outside of our own little box. And in this light, I present to you this video. For, as we know, the joy is in the experiencing, and the joy is in the sharing!
Something very strange happened to me this weekend — I lost my voice. Unfortunately, it wasn’t because I was shouting my lungs out at a Beastie Boys concert. It was some strange combination of allergies, an infection, a decongestant, an antihistamine and lots of speaking in different classrooms. In a nut shell, it was “the perfect storm”! I’ve been on vocal rest all weekend, including complete abstinence from speaking today (Sunday). And I have to say, “I had no idea how much I use my voice!” It’s eye-opening.
What’s wild is that last week I was wondering what it would be like to go a whole day, or even a whole week without speaking. I was thinking about James Earl Jones and how he was silent for the bulk of his adolescent years. Then he spoke and out came the voice of Darth Vader (or maybe at that age it sounded more like Dark Helmet). I guess you could say my wondering became a fascination and then a reality. Funny how that happens…
Tomorrow is a school day, and I’m wondering if my voice will be healed and ready for use. Especially since I teach four classes on Mondays: Stage Combat at 8am, Voice & Diction at 10am & 11am, and then Sophomore Performance Studio at 1pm. I’m having visions of carrying around a big yellow legal pad and a black Sharpie all day. Maybe I’ll prepare a few phrases like “Oh, I’m fine. How are you? Isn’t this lovely weather we’re having?” Or maybe I’ll turn the whole day into a giant game of charades! “Two words….one syllable…sounds like….sounds like a Julia Roberts’ movie?!” 
Overall, what I’m learning from this experience is the power of silence. I’m learning that if I don’t speak a word, my life will still be fine. And I hope that what will continue to resonate once my voice returns is the silent strength in the unvoiced communication. Because, whether we speak or not, we are always conveying a message. And maybe, just maybe, we use our voices because we’re afraid of the silence.
