River Brown

As your soul, your inner person who has persisted through the decades, and who will be there when you shed your worn-out body along with its complicated mind, I grant you freedom. Fresh freedom, now.

You have permission to live your life from bliss. Write and do art as you please. You can say “no” to things that do not interest you. Do a little more of that each day, each week! It’s fun! You may spend more time daily writing, drawing, or painting than you do housekeeping, gardening, and care taking. Really! You got lots of time. But don’t get anxious about it; just go with the flow.

You have my full permission to explore and live your life as an adventure. Notice what is drawing you in, what engages you. This will rework some of your habits, and I think you’ll like the difference. You can start ignoring that voice that tells you that being you is selfish.

You have permission to put your attention on whatever has heart and meaning for you. You don’t have to follow the news, or be up on current events. You may cease from being overly conscientious because you didn’t cause the mess in the nation and you can’t fix it. You don’t have to heal the ever-widening wealth gap. You don’t have to prove to anyone how much you care, even though you care deeply about these things.

Follow your intuition. Trust it. I gave it to you so that the grind of getting a living and the complications of modern existence won’t get you down. Intuition will lead you in the self-compassion my permission slip intends and it will guide you into compassion for others. Don’t worry, your dharma is getting done.

At this very moment, you may also stop worrying about how you [and others] think your life should be lived. [Including what your readers think of this permission slip]. Let go of your old ideas or preconceptions. Get over all the useless advice your survival brain stored, hoping you could live forever. You do know this is a temporary journey, right?

Just unclench those tiny fingers from your mind and heart, take a breath and LET GO. You have special permission to arrest the mental dialogue about “aging” and stereotypes of “retirement.” Never mind what epigenetics offered you. Bliss. That is your birthright.

I offer you this freedom, trusting you will recognize wisdom. Be an artist who draws and paints and a writer who writes. Full permission granted.

Love and Light,
Your Soul