Barto's Basics

I’ve spent a lot of my life ‘recovering’ from lies that have been told to me or lies I’ve told myself.

I’m not talking about Santa Claus and the Tooth Fairy.

I’m talking real, life altering, character shaping, generational baggage.

The stuff people hide from.

The stuff that gets buried with our ancestors.

And as I get older I am coming to grips with how those lies have held me back from living freely and how they have grown into resentment and an unhealthy level of caution.

There are very real consequences for lies.

For willingly denying the truth.

Lies cast shadows.

Lies leave scars.

Lies leave doubt.

The liar will tell you that it was for your protection/benefit. But really they are “protecting” themselves.

The burden of a lie (or of many) is that the longer it lingers, the more work you have to do to keep it covered up.

The more you have to be aware of it so you can dance around it.

You remain stuck in the cycle and eventually you spin out of control because the burden of the lie becomes too much.

And then the truth comes out…

And what could have been hard to swallow at first now becomes a choking hazard.

“You can’t handle the truth!” is a good movie line, but it’s garbage for real life.

We CAN handle the truth.

Truth is stable.

Truth is finite.

The lie is ever changing and I don’t know about you, but that’s much harder to handle.

Lean into the truth.

Be a truth teller and show those around you that while telling truth may be unpleasant in a moment, it is courageous. It’s right.

The truth does set you free!

Free from the burden. Free from the uncertainty. Free from the guilt.

Truth is how we heal.

So as I sit under this tree, in this beautiful place, with my feet on the ground, I’m reminded that the greatest truth of all shines brightly in my life, upon my soul and in my heart.

Be free.

❤️🙏🏻