An Inside Job

“This is my dog, Lola.  He’s a she!” – Landon Johnson

An Inside Job

“Let’s talk about healing” Angela said.  “If you want to satisfy an internal emptiness you must fill it with loving relationships.”

Even though I admire Angela Dodson and have trust in what she attempts to teach me, I have to admit that when she said these words I only heard them in my ears.  And, I’ve learned that the distance between my ears and my heart is vast indeed. That means my ears hear much more than what ends up being accepted into my heart. Allowing positive change to happen within one’s heart isn’t usually an instantaneous process at any age. Yet, it can happen to us at any age, as taught to me by four-year-old Landon Johnson.

“This is my dog, Lola.  He’s a she!” Landon exclaimed to me just three days ago over a video call.

I laughed at the time of his saying it, because his expression, though clear, was a little awkwardly articulated.  Then, as I pondered his words over the ensuing days I began to comprehend what I call “Landon J’s Guide to an Inside Job.”

First, just do what’s in your heart!  You might feel awkward about it, or in your abilities around what you want, but part of being truly genuine is to recognize your own unique approach to living.  Being you is all that is required.

Second. You can’t truly want something you can’t actually see yourself. That means If you only want what another person wants, you’re only seeing a copy. Think about that for a moment. The greatest originals, master pieces, are priceless! Copies are infinitely less valuable because they’re more prolific. If you want to be extraordinary instead of ordinary you have to put faith in yourself, in who you really are.

“This isn’t a joke! It isn’t funny!” Landon said as he heard me snicker after his pronouncement.

In reality I wasn’t thinking “it” was funny. I was thinking of his comments as a cute, priceless moment.  An all too rare of a moment when I could feel that nagging internal emptiness begin to shrink. A moment when I instinctively began to have a glimpse into what Angela was trying to instill into my heart. Yet, Landon’s sharp reply to my laughter ushered in new enlightenment.

Third. If you don’t believe it, why would anyone else believe it? Our belief in who we are, as an individual, is created by how we feel about ourselves. It has nothing to do with what other people think about us. Could it be important for you and me to be able to embrace our little idiosyncrasies? Would beginning to think of our own peculiarities as the personification of our individual charm allow us to have a greater belief in ourselves?

Fourth. Stop thinking about it! A four-year-old generally doesn’t spend a lot of time fretting about what other people think or how they “should” think about things. They live in a state of expression beyond the mind. This is a place of deeper truth. Perhaps it’s because they’re just beginning the process of getting to know themselves, on the inside.  Which leads me to another question. As a person grows in experience, knowledge and association with others is it possible for them to begin to live as only a “shadow” of who they really are?

Finally, it takes persistence to remain true to yourself. Could the world simply be a mirror, reflecting only how we feel about ourselves? Could we, like Landon, be misinterpreting the meaning behind the gentle laughter of others?

“Let’s talk about healing” Angela said.  “If you want to satisfy an internal emptiness you must fill it with loving relationships.”

Even though I admire Angela and have trust in what she attempts to teach me, It took recognition of Landon J’s Guide to an Inside Job, to traverse the vast distance between my ears and my heart. Allowing positive change to happen within one’s heart isn’t usually an instantaneous process at any age. Yet, Landon has shown that it can happen to any one of us, at any age.