#53 - Noticing the boundaries of others
A wall of humidity hit us as we started our morning walk. Leading the charge was our puppy Story, and taking their own sweet time were Hope and Jester, but a few minutes into our walk, there was a change in plans.
Jester stopped in the middle of the road. I tried to give him a few "Come on, boy," but he didn't budge. I wanted to pull him to get his legs going, but he stood firm. It became frustrating because the other dogs wanted to continue, and all needed some exercise.
But then I realized he was standing firm to honor is boundaries. He wasn't feeling it. He was hot, and instead of slogging through the walk, he 'was like, "Check, please." When we turned around, he pranced back to our house and celebrated staying true to his wants and needs.
I believe in having personal boundaries and honoring them in others. In my travels, I've seen people create but not honor them and not respect the boundaries of others without judgment.
When I was younger, others would give me a "Come on, let's go" or try to pull me into their vortex and I would routinely blow past my limits. I didn't want to disappoint others, so I justified my actions, but it made me feel that I wasn't worthy of my own space. Over time, I realized that my boundaries could help me show up as desired, and I started to take small steps to honor them better.
Jester was the wise one this morning and underscored a valuable lesson. We were all thankful to pop back into an air-conditioned home.
Michael
p.s.,
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