Growing up wasn't easy for Peter. Being the oldest son he was expected to protect his siblings, help around the house and be the man of the house when his father was away, which was most of the time. From a very young age he learned to be impervious to pain, fatigue and fear--or at least that's how he portrayed himself. Weakness was simply not tolerated.
Despite the fact that he was given these great responsibilities, they came at a high price. He was disciplined very harshly for the smallest mistake, such as breaking a dish, and still carries the physical, and of course mental, scars of that kind of discipline.
Peter learned to give people what they wanted at whatever personal cost that exacted from his body, mind and spirit. But what are the residual effects of this kind of harsh, exacting upbringing?
Peter is a very hard-working man almost to a fault. He still sacrifices his own well-being to 'look after things' and 'help others.' He is an honourable man and because of his self-sacrificing nature and training, a lot of people have tried to use him for their own ends.
It is not an easy path to go from the ever-sacrificing son to the balanced man.
Peter has realized that he cannot allow people to use him any longer. Maybe it used to make him feel valuable, useful and even loved, but he has realized that he is not being valued, is being used and is certainly not loved in any healthy way.
Peter has decided to break out of the story. The story of his life that he learned as a child and adolescent. The story that trained him that other people are more important than him. The story that trained him that the only way he'll truly be loved is by putting everyone else first. The false story that he learned over and over again in different ways through his family. The false story that he perpetuated on into his adult life with choices that continued that familiar pattern.
The story is not who he is: The story is what others want him to be.
He is ending the story to become the balanced man he deserves and wants to be.
Bravo, Peter!
Peter will create miraculous things when he listens wholeheartedly to what his soul is telling him about himself. I have no doubt that he will create his own future and because it will be his, it will be exactly what he wants and needs it to be at any given time.
With peace and love,
Jacqueline
