This year I have started making animals out of socks and gloves. Some of the wee people in my world will be getting these treasures for Christmas. They are stuffed with love, and my kids enjoy watching these animals develop from a pile of socks, thread and stuffing. The buttons came from my grandma’s collection, so each person who gets one of these, will be holding an item with multi-generational significance. Truly a gift from my family.
Now I will tell the story from the perspective of “gremlin”:
I don’t know how to sew. I bought a book that showed me how to make these animals, and my attempts don’t look at all like the book. A child won’t like or appreciate an animal that looks so strange. The animals at the store are way cuter. Why am I spending several hours on each animal, only to have them turn out so goofy? “Leah, I would hate for your feelings to get hurt if someone doesn’t like their animal, so you should not bother to give them out”. This gift sucks!
The gremlin voice inside us, can keep us from many things. It “tries to protect us, and guide us”, but because gremlins are fear based- they focus on keeping us away from things, instead of drawing us toward. Away from: fear, hurt, embarrassment, and other uncomfortable emotions, which equates to away from: joy, self expression, freedom, self acceptance and authenticity. Gremlins keep us from our truest expression of self. It ain’t just about sock animals!
So, if I listened to the gremlin, I would not make these animals. I am not listening, AND I will begin another one later this afternoon. Gremlin awareness and management, can be a daily job. Consider it part of the regular care and maintenance of your most-expressed self.
