We tend to assume that shedding our skins is a one-time process. That when we’ve done it once, that’s it; we’re done.
In truth, shedding our many layers of beliefs, behaviours, habits and defensiveness practices built over the decades, especially those developed from our earliest traumatic experiences, takes a long, long time. It is a slow, infinitesimally gradual process as we painfully remove one tightly wound skin after another . . . .
If we can accept this then we can ease up on ourselves and we can sink into a lifelong journey of release and growth. At times it feels like we’re making no progress. But in fact, when we look back with self-compassion we can see just how far we have come. Yes, there's probably still a long, long way still to go but that’s the point: it’s the journey of a lifetime to become who we truly are. To remove our many skins of pretence, falsity, protection and harmful self-beliefs and behaviours is a slow, gradual revealing of our true, fullest rainbow colours once more.
~ Angela Dunning
