(Notes taken from FB Live Aug 25 2018 ~ Click to Watch)

I heard the story about Chinese Bamboo in the early days of my dark times in PTSD. And when I heard it, it became an anchor and helped me keep going even though my entire existence seemed pointless. The story is that Chinese Bamboo requires daily nurturing – water, fertile soil, sunshine. Day after day in the first year there is no evidence of anything happening. Nor the second, or third or fourth. Then in the fifth year BOOM!

The miracle happens! The tree grows 90 feet in just 5 weeks! What this story did for me, does for me, is helps me remember that I need to keep the faith that the daily disciplines will produce the results I am hoping for even though I may not see the evidence of it. If I keep doing the next right thing. If I keep learning and growing and keep an open mind and heart, I will achieve my heart’s desire which is to find contentment and help ease suffering in the world. The bamboo didn’t lie dormant for 4 years, it was busy making an massive root structure that will sustain it through the harshest conditions of life.

This is one of the reasons why I have taken on this challenge! To grow my self esteem root structure. To strengthen my character, my values, my beliefs and continue to weed out the unhealthy programming. And sometimes I get discouraged and have doubt and think what I am doing is stupid and then all the negative thoughts come flooding in. Next thing I know I have wasted all this precious time sitting in a corner flagellating myself and infecting anyone who happens to come too close. These are the times when I need to pull up my faith and give it time to build it’s foundation. I recognize that sometimes I am simply not strong enough to pull myself out of that space so I call a friend. A tactic I set up for myself when I created my safety plan in my dark times and it is still so powerful today. What do you do when you hit discouragement? Or to keep yourself “on point” when it seems like nothing is happening?

• #ptsd #nevergiveup #claimingwellness #recovery #keto #bamboo #george