Yielding self means giving up the old concepts of the past; forgetting ourselves and our human desire to come forth, and just rejoicing that all God’s creation constantly springs forth in newness of life and light and joy and service. -Myrtle Fillmore, co-founder of Unity, 1918

I am a “drama” addict – there I said it, and it’s true, but not in the way you may think. I can hear words reverberating in my brain from decades past, “Don’t be so dramatic!” “Why are you so sensitive?” The truth is, I am very sensitive, and I love a good drama because I am so passionate about living life out loud. I think most people miss that about me. They meet me and decide if I am being quiet or inwardly focused it means I am aloof, cold or unfeeling in some way. In fact, I am quite the opposite.

I am a “drama” addict – there I said it, and it’s true, but not in the way you may think. CLICK TO TWEET

There’s this small part of me, the innocent, inquisitive and sensitive child that is very much alive. I love people, deeply. I want to know them, and to know their stories. One of the most meaningful experiences is to look someone in the eye, and know there is a long life of unforgettable drama filled with joy, pain, peace and uncertainty; and in all the glory and madness of their life’s drama they shine, as a unique, unrepeatable configurations of Divine Mind, regardless of their distressing disguises. Our work is to help each other bring forth that renewed light.

To say I’m a drama addict may not sound positive or empowering. It sounds as though I make stuff up just to get attention. Unfortunately we have decided in our culture that to be drama addict, or drama queen, means you’re over-exaggerating and likely highly emotional, looking for sympathy. This makes sense in a way because our stories are often filled with experiences that are painful, sometimes with unresolved and unhealed wounds.

Regrettably, we take these stories and define ourselves that leaves out the foundational Truth of our divine wholeness. I know I learned to operate unconsciously with a persistent belief of unworthiness, and no awareness of my innate goodness. This was the “self” that I thought was the “real me.” So is it any wonder we may not hold our “story” or our “selves” in a positive light?

Humans have been telling stories since our brains first developed the capacity for self-reflective thought. We’re built with desire hard-wired in to tell our dramas yet also to listen deeply because storytellers know within a story there is wisdom and wit. The wisdom tells us we are not alone, and the wit asks us to laugh at ourselves from time to time. Through the practice of listening with our whole hearts we can find radical acceptance for exactly who and what we are. This acceptance can only come from being seen and knowing our presence here matters, which cleanses us of everything false and extraneous. This is at the heart of staying real. It is my practice of unbecoming who I never was.

So these are the confessions of a gleeful, drama addict. Engaging in the drama of life that lives within, telling my stories which has helped me listen to those closest to me and strangers. You are my medicine and my elixir, and I am yours. Tell your drama and listen to others. Teach each other to to live out loud. Be a drama addict with me and we will heal, living what is real – in service to all. We will each spring forth, being wonderfully dramatic, writing renewed lives filled with sheer joy and light.

Visit Kelly Isola’s website here.