On Authenticity in Sprout

 

I had the honor of being interviewed for the feature spot in this month's issue of Sprout. The theme: Authenticity. Amanda Fall gathers guests every month to offer an online magazine full of healing and inspiration for the soul. When she asked me to answer some questions for this theme, I have to confess I felt a bit uncertain. I wondered, Am I really all that Authentic? The truth is that Authentic can seem like a daunting plate to step up to in this world, and then to be seen as someone who might have something to say about what that means can feel even more vulnerable. Yet, I knew it was right because I felt stretched to explore it and inquire within.

Amanda asks questions pertinent to who she is speaking with - she sees the places where the rich excavation is. Her questions, customized for me, led me into a sharing that even I needed to see put into words in this season of my life.

Here's just a small clip...

"....I remember being a little girl in a family with many wounded women. I was wounded young myself. My mother was, my grandmother, my great-grandmother–– all of us in more ways than one. My family was rich with love and laughter in so many ways, but there was also abandonment, addiction, abuse of every kind, mental illness, teenage pregnancy, cancers, suicide, poverty. It was all around me––and I was always deeply aware of the presence of pressing matters, in ways we, as adults, wish children to be free from. It goes back as far as I can remember––this awareness, and refining a gift in picking up on the subtle energies around me. I was a natural observer, I feel––and my story and environment from day one certainly gave me reason to nurture and fine-tune that trait. For a long time, I thought I was too quiet, too thoughtful, too this and not enough of that. After much of my own soulwork, though, I found every detail of my life to be pivotal for Presence and reflection work with others...."

Her questions led me to reflect on my inherent nature, my family, my work in hospice, climbing out of years of depression, my creative practice, and how all of that and more has led me to a deeper understanding of what it means to be authentic - which I also share, of course! What I love in this issue, though, is the diverse perspectives from which this theme was explored by everyone contributing.

To purchase this issue of Sprout, with 60 pages of inspiration, and 10 guests joining Amanda in the exploration of Authenticity, go RIGHT HERE.