theconnectionsnj.com PAGE 52 DINING OUT HEALTH & WELLNESS Our Board Certified Ophthalmologists treat: • Cataracts • Glaucoma • Diabetic Eye Disease • Macular Degeneration • Routine Eye Exams • Premium Lens Implant Surgery • Ophthalmic Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery including Botox • Complete Line of Contact Lenses I ONLY HAVE EYES FOR YOU! Celebrating over 50 years of service! 65 Mountain Blvd. Ext., Warren, NJ 07059 In the Warren Medical Center Across from the ACME (732) 356-6200 www.The-Eye-Center.com John F. Lane, M.D. Matthew B. Gewirtz, M.D. Debra A. Firestone, M.D. Susan R. Carter, M.D. Justin Schaefers, O.D. Linda Zhang, M.D. rust is one of those words we toss around easily…until we’re asked to actually do it. Simple in theory. Complicated in practice. For many of us (me included), trust feels a lot like letting go of control….and not in a “yoga class” way. More like standing at the edge of a cliff and hoping the parachute works. It can feel dangerous. Exposing. Wildly uncomfortable. But at its root, trust is actually solid. The word itself traces all the way back to the Proto-Indo-European root deru, meaning “firm, solid, steadfast, strong.” Literally, trust comes from strength. From the deep inner knowing that what you lean on, will hold. And yet, trusting doesn’t always feel strong. Especially when the very thing you’re trusting (i.e., a person, your intuition, the universe, your next move) isn’t offering you a guarantee. But maybe that’s the point, because the truth is, trust is not the absence of fear, but learning to be courageous in that fear. If trusting feels hard, start here: what taught you to be distrustful? Was it an inconsistency in your childhood...a betrayal from someone you loved…a moment when your intuition led you somewhere painful? We all have a trust origin story, a first moment when something broke and left us unsure if we could rely on people, the world, or even ourselves. And while that awareness alone won’t magically heal the wound, it creates something essential: understanding. And from understanding, we can begin to rebuild. And trust me! Rebuilding doesn’t mean blind optimism. It means intentional repair. It means recognizing when you’re projecting old stories onto new chapters. It means not punishing your present for the pain of your past. Trust isn’t just about believing that everything will go well. It’s about believing you’ll be okay, even if it doesn’t. It’s saying: I trust myself to hold what’s mine. To grieve what’s gone. To pivot if needed. To receive what comes next. Even if I can’t predict it, force it, or fully understand it yet, I can handle it. If you’re holding on tightly right now to a plan, to an old identity, to the need to control what comes next, maybe it’s time to loosen your grip. Not because you have a guarantee. But because life has already shown you that you’ve made it through everything you never thought you would. And that’s not an accident. And now you can begin to live healthy again. You can trust again. You can trust yourself. You can trust the world. Not because everything will always go right, but because even when it doesn’t, you are still here. Still standing. Still capable of rebuilding and proving that everyday. FALL LIFE IN LOVE WITH Do You Trust Yourself? By Serafina Perrotto T Dive Deeper Watch: The Anatomy of Trust - Brené Brown Read: The Untethered Soul by Michael A. Singer Listen: Trustfall - P!nk
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