Do You Want To ?
Our focus this week — July 30-Aug 5: “Boundaries”
Today’s MotD: Do You Want To ? We’re encouraged to really tune into how we honestly feel about what we’re being asked to do or what we’re “having” to put up with. For instance if a friend asks us to run an errand for them, do we automatically say yes because that’s what friends are for ?
But, the reality may be that we already have a ton on our plate that day, deadlines to meet, and so on. Now, if we were to take an extra moment to honestly ask and answer the question “do I want to ?” the answer most likely would be “no”. Thus becomes the challenge: to we risk hurting the friend’s feelings or do we risk overwhelming ourselves, taxing our well-being, and thus resenting the friend in the end ?
Obviously the closer the relationship we have with others, the more challenging the answer becomes. UNLESS…the relationship is such that we can answer honestly without judgment or guilt. That’s where boundaries can help. With solid boundaries we can easily answer the question knowing that all will be well regardless.
Warning…a bit of a story here…
Years ago I was visiting my brother in Long Island. My dad had called him asking what time he was going to arrive the next day. My brother was going to drive us up to Connecticut so we could attend my aunt and uncles 50th wedding anniversary party. Listening to the conversation from my brother’s end, he told my dad “I’m not going to but I can still drive Maureen up there and come back. But I’m not staying.” I didn’t hear what my father asked. I only heard my brother’s reply “because I don’t want to”. That told me everything I needed to know about my dad’s question. After another pause, my brother calmly, and a little but louder, “because I don’t want to”.
How brilliant was that, I thought ! Normally with my dad, we usually give excuses rather than outright tell him the truth. The only problem with that is my dad is brilliant a manipulation. For every excuse we’d come up with he would have some kind of fix-it until eventually we would just cave…and dad would get what he wanted but not us.
When my brother said “I don’t want to”, it modeled for me the benefit of being honest. It’s almost impossible to argue with “I don’t want to”. Obviously we don’t have to be mean about it…but we can certainly be kind in our honesty.
Essentially today, we’re encouraged take that extra moment to truly decide whether we want to or not…whatever the situation.
How about you ? How many times have you automatically replied “yes” without checking in with yourself to find out if you want to do whatever is being asked of you ? How many times have you answered “yes” because it was just easier than trying to tell the truth ? Are you open to honoring yourself by asking yourself “do I want to” the next time someone asks something of you ?
BTW…Here’s the before…the front and back view of today’s puzzle piece and the pretty ceramic box that holds all my numbers from which I randomly choose each day’s puzzle piece number:
Peace & Blessings,
Maureen
The Mandala Lady
Creating Mandalas 🔆 Awakening Inner Harmony
ABOUT THE 2025 Mandalas of the Day
Throughout the year, I’ll be building one large (48”x48”) Tibetan-styled Mandala one piece at a time…one puzzle piece at a time, that is. The mandala design and the reversed puzzle side were printed on artist-quality watercolor paper. The forward facing puzzle side was printed on a 48”x48” wood panel.
Each day, at random, I’ll be painting in watercolors one of the 365 watercolor puzzle pieces, that by the end of the year will become Archangel Mandala #4. Read more about the Archangel Series. The word/message for each piece will be inspired by Melody Beattie’s book “52 Weeks of Conscious Contact”.
Ultimately, the message of this mandala is about how we are all uniquely part of the one.
Mandala of the Day 