From Deep Down...

I've had a crazy last few days. I drove 6 hours north to Niagara Falls and saw the most beautiful waterfall ever, drove another hour and a half north to Toronto to see John Mayer, and last night I went with some friends to see him again in "Dirty" Jersey. I sit here with my coffee feeling more inspired than I've ever been in my entire life - and it feels amazing.

I realize my bias here; I've been a fan of JM for years. I have rooted for him and I (probably) always will root for him - I say probably because "always" is a word I've learned to be very careful about. Anyways, back to the point.

The first may be something that you don't want to think about (I don't either, but it leads to something very important) and what we want to hear and what we need to hear usually feel very different. There's a reason for that.

It's about judgments, assumptions, and stereotypes - it's about the most dangerous drug we can experiment with. There's the appetizer, here's the entree.

If you think about what judgment is at it's core, it's essentially someone saying that they have some sort of standard that isn't congruent with yours. It's when things are not in harmony, the exact oposite of "shalom". Judgment can be anything; something as simple as "Your shoes suck!" or "You listen to John Mayer?!? He's such a douche." A sense of judgment originates with arrogance and here's where it turns toxic:

Judgment leads to self-consciousness, which then inevitably leads to a level of insecurity that has permeated our culture and has become extremely poisonous to every single one of us. I realize there's dark and there's light. I need to be clear here; I'm referring to preferences, not morals.

But negativity never frees the captive, it only enslaves them longer and brings about more injustice. So think about your words and always remember that sticks and stones will break your bones but words will always do more damage (yes, I know I said "always"). Enjoy who you are tonight, not who you would be if you changed this or that - and that means accepting the insecurities and the talents. Push yourself to be the best you can be? Absolutely. But always make sure you have plans Friday night for fear of sitting alone in your room? Not anymore. I'm done with that approach.

Don't tear others down in an attempt to build yourself up. Root for others. Celebrate with them when they work hard to succeed and take them out to dinner when they're "covered in rain" because things didn't quite go as planned.

I truly believe love can set us free, we just have to let it. KL.