After Laura expressed a sentiment I really understood—the lament of feeling outside the active interest of Heavenly Father—I decided to see if that could be a foothold to talk to get about making goals and adopting a creator mindset instead of a victim mindset. I decided that instead of going home after our play we could go to dinner or go for a drive (depending on which she felt like doing). We went to dinner and I talked to her about the changes I have been making for myself—especially in recent years—and about the fact that a mortal existence predicated on individual agency was incompatible with settling for a victim coping strategy. I also explained the crucial elements of making changes in her life: identifying your desires clearly enough to gauge progress; and then a cycle of seeing your present reality accurately, making plans for a next step, and assessing the results of actions taken. She said that made sense and she was willing to try again.
I’m hopefully that we can maintain a dialog about progress in coming to a shared vision and working together going forward. I’m realistic enough to know it will take some time.
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