Maturity

The other day, on the way to an appointment in the car, my daughter and I became deeply engrossed in a very philosophical conversation. At one point … frozen at a stop light … some important point of view just expressed – she looked at me and said, ‘Mom, you are really mature!’

A strange thing for a child to say to a parent, but still I knew just what she meant and gave her an appreciative smile. It was a particular kind of ‘maturity’ she was referring to.


The older I get, the more my definition of ‘maturity’ continues to change.

When I was a young child, ‘maturity’ meant making it to puberty - and all those wonderful physical and hormonal changes that would inevitably arrive.

When I was a young adult, ‘maturity’ meant learning to act appropriately in interpersonal and social situations. (no more burping louder than the next guy at the dinner table – a concept I am still waiting with baited breath to descend on the children who inhabit my own dining room!)

When I became a parent, ‘maturity’ meant developing the ability to consider someone else’s needs and happiness ahead of my own – and to make responsible choices and decisions accordingly.

But as I’ve graduated into yet another phase of my own personal growth in the past decade or two, a different type of ‘maturity’ has gradually become the cornerstone of my personal code.

It’s the type that allows me to embrace and appreciate everyone who passes through my world – no matter how briefly or in what form. The type that allows me to bless those people who appear to show up in my life with no other purpose but to challenge me, confront me and pull every last ugly skeleton out of my closet and toss them all over the room.

… it is the type that helps me to remember that every soul is doing the very best they can based on their own history and experience, in any given moment … and yes, even me.

It’s a ‘maturity’ of spirit.

It doesn’t ask for your birth date – couldn’t care less how old you are
Doesn’t boast outward evidence of its arrival – in fact, it’s gracefully discrete
Requires little more than an open mind and a willing heart – but, accepts nothing less


And it takes practice … and more practice … to fully develop this kind of ‘maturity’.


When your first inclination is to pull out the boxing gloves and remind someone you’re a force to be reckoned with – it’s not fully engaged! And when you turn the other cheek, without anger, it is.

So when the next challenging person comes waltzing into your life, gets in your face, pushes your buttons and starts to head directly for your skeleton collection ... rather than reaching for your weapon of choice – this time try reaching for your ‘maturity’ –

and I can almost promise that what you will find -

is that they were actually just stopping by to show you how far you’ve really come on this journey of personal growth.

Until Next Time…

Hugs (from the closet),

KimbraLee =)


P.S. - A wise man gets more use from his enemies than a fool from his friends - Baltasar Gracian