my bones

"On first glance, this seems a nearly impossible task.  

Control your thoughts?  Instead of the other way around?  

But imagine if you could.  This is not about repression or denial.  

Repression and denial set up elaborate games to pretend that negative thoughts and feelings are not occurring.  

What Richard is talking about is instead admitting to the existence of negative thoughts, 

understanding where they come from and why they arrived, 

and then-with great forgiveness and fortitude-dismissing them.  

This is a practice that fits hand-in-glove with any psychological work you do during therapy.  

You can use the shrink’s office to understand why you have these destructive thoughts in the first place; 

you can use spiritual exercises to help overcome them.  

It’s a sacrifice to let them go, of course.  

It’s a loss of old habits, comforting old grudges and familiar vignettes.  

Of course this all takes practice and effort.  

It’s not a teaching that you can hear once and then expect to master immediately. 

It’s constant vigilance and I want to do it.  

I need to do it, for my strength.  

Devo farmi le ossa is how they say it in Italian: 

‘I need to make my bones’".

-eat, pray, love