Many of us are skilled at drawing borders to keep others in line. We warn them not to cross into forbidden territory. We convince ourselves that those who don’t respect our boundaries, don’t respect us either. We become nervous when they begin to approach our carefully drawn borders. We become enraged when they dare to cross them. Our borders are constructed of don’ts. Don’t ignore me. Don’t make fun of what I think. Don’t treat me as less important than you. Don’t look at me with that judgmental glint in your eye. Don’t. Don’t. Don’t.

Perhaps we should stop drawing lines we fear others might cross and instead determine boundaries to keep ourselves out of the territories we’d rather not inhabit. See this border I’ve drawn for myself? It goes everywhere with me. Inside my border is truth and authenticity. Inside is the choice to acknowledge fear and the refusal to let it rule my world. You can come and visit me anytime. I won’t fight to keep you out. I won’t argue about where you should be. I’ll simply continue to live and examine my life, and perfect the shape of my world as my inner sight improves.