Nov 21, 2019 | Be you, Becoming, Encouragement, Grow |
Bravery is not a guarantee.
Bravery is not a trade for
the outcome you desire.
Bravery is just the
next step you take.
We don’t know what is
around the corner
but the next step
must still be taken.
It is an exercise in trust,
but don’t forget –
you’re in good hands.
Bravery,
in the company of fear,
hope, and trust
is the engine to take you to
where you are supposed to be.
Some days will be hard and you
will be tempted to believe that bravery
has been overtaken by fear.
Fear is just the reminder
that you can’t do life alone.
Fear is just a warning bell
that you are relying too much
on yourself.
It’s time to trust and put fear in its place.
Bravery,
is a lot of small steps –
not giant leaps.
Small steps forward,
are steps in the right direction
and don’t be tempted to
even think they don’t count.
We can celebrate the little wins
and use those to build courage.
The fails?
Those are our guardrails
to help keep us on the
path we are supposed to be on.
There are no guarantees…
except that
bravery equals growth.
#PermissionGranted
Sep 11, 2019 | Be you |
There’s a pair of denim shorts
in my dresser right now
with a folded up ten-dollar bill
in the front, left pocket.
It’s always in there.
I reach into my pocket often
when I am wearing the shorts
to make sure it is still there.
Its lived in this pocket
for a long time –
at least two years,
possibly more.
Last week I stuck my hand in
the pocket when I was folding
the clothes and there
was nothing in there.
I was immediately sad.
Did I spend it and forget about it?
What could have been so
important that I spent it
and now I don’t even remember
what I spent it on?
I was so frustrated!
I tucked the shorts in the drawer –
minus the ten dollars,
unsure if I would
wear them again,
and took out my frustration
by vigorously shaking out the towels
before folding them.
The bottom of the clothes
basket was finally in sight,
but I was still bewildered.
Then, from under a sock peeked
a bit of green paper.
I squealed with glee.
I grabbed the cash and ran to
my dresser and tucked it
into the left, front pocket
of my shorts –
where it belongs.
I don’t know why this money
lives in my pocket.
Maybe there’s some sort
of comfort
in the sameness?
Maybe it’s the smile
that comes over me
when I put the shorts on
and stick my
hand in my pocket
and feel the worn,
folded edges
and think,
“Yep, I’m ready.”
I am not sure why
I do this
and I don’t feel
that I need to explain it
or understand this quirk.
It just is.
It’s just a part of being me.
#PermissionGranted
Embrace your quirks. And embrace those of others – even the ones that may make you crazy. We have to allow for quirks so that we can all be who we are, right where we are!
Aug 29, 2019 | Be you, Becoming, Community, Grow |
If you look at my calendar
you would think it is a mess.
The same could be said for my car,
the basement, my desktop, and the laundry room.
My hope is that upon closer inspection,
you might be able to look past
the insanity, the yogurt splashes,
the boxes, the piles of shoes –
and see who I am.
The messes are messes, yes,
but there’s likely a reason they are there
and they don’t define who I am.
This is also true for my personality flaws –
and yours –
they are there for a reason,
but they don’t define
who we are.
I invite you to look past my flaws –
just as you would want me to
look past yours.
I also wish for you to help
me with my messes –
just because stubbornness
and a yogurt-splashed car
are a part of my life
doesn’t mean
I can’t make changes.
We are not forced to
stay in a mold
we can change,
morph,
grow
into people who pursue their best –
not just for their own sakes
but for the world around us.
Let’s give each other permission –
to be who we are,
right where we are…
but let’s also give permission
for others to speak
into the spaces where we
need to grow.
#PermissionGranted
Aug 21, 2019 | Be you, Becoming, purpose |
She found a piece of herself
under the couch last month.
It was dusty and covered in Cheerio crumbs
but it definitely belonged to her.
It was hard to tell
but she thinks it might be her sense of adventure.
Last week she opened a box in the attic
and was shocked to find
her drive for justice in the box
with her high school yearbooks.
She sets the found pieces
in a box, next to her jewelry.
She doesn’t think about them again
until she finds a paintbrush
buried in the junk drawer in the bathroom.
Her heart trips over itself
at the sight of a long-lost love.
She used to be known as
the artist.
It joins the other pieces on her dresser.
The next day, during a long afternoon at work
she re-discovers her ambition via
an email search.
She found it in an email about a business idea
from when she first graduated college.
It is still a good idea.
She creates a folder titled:
Business Idea
and moves the email there so she
can come back to it.
That evening
as she puts the girls’ clothes away
she squeals when she finds
one of her favorite toys
from when she was a girl.
She realizes then, that its been
a long time since she
felt joy that
relishes the simple things.
She carries the little toy
to join the rest of the pieces of her.
When she looks up
from her jewelry tray
she catches her reflection
in the mirror and
pauses.
All this time she thought she was
a whole person,
pursuing all that she is meant to,
but now that she’s discovered
misplaced pieces of her,
she takes stock.
Is anything else missing?
How do I incorporate these
pieces of me back into my life,
where they rightfully belong?
Without them,
I am not wholly me.
Her heart quickens,
beats to redeem
lost time.
She calls for the girls as she grabs
her paintbrush and
runs to the playroom.
For now,
any paint will do.
She has to paint right this minute.
To put the pieces back together.
To be whole.
To be all that she is meant to be.
#PermissionGranted
Jul 31, 2019 | Be you, Becoming, confidently |
There are days when I
check off all the boxes.
If you saw me in action
you might say,
“Get out of her way!
She’s got a list!”
On these days I am a
Professional
Mom/Wife/Writer/Organizer/Cleaner/Chef.
There are days that I
am a Professional
Facebooker.
There are days that
if I could get paid to daydream
I would make bank.
There are days that
nothing is accomplished
because I just can’t
do one more thing.
There are days that I
think I could tackle
anything I put my mind to
and days when I wonder
if I am capable of good things.
There are days when I try
something new,
like a treetop ropes course
and other days when I
fall into old patterns that
keep me stuck.
All of this is me.
I am not more me
on my tackle-it-all days
versus my Facebook pro days.
The essence of who I am
is on display when I daydream
and when I seek out
something new.
There’s a range to who I am.
I
am
not
a
robot
with a singular setting.
I am fully myself
when I give space
for all that I am.
#PermissionGranted
Jun 19, 2019 | Be you, confidently, Do The Hard Thing, purpose |
The pitch darkness
makes her stumble.
It doesn’t matter if her eyes are
open or closed –
the light is the same.
She keeps to herself,
keeps herself small
so that she doesn’t
end up with bumps and bruises.
she shuffles imperceptibly.
Her lack of confidence is
because she is
swaddled in uncertainty.
Her movement,
her thoughts,
are
stunted,
stagnant.
Her dreams –
vacant.
What ifs
keep her a prisoner
to what has always been.
She sits and waits for…
she doesn’t know.
She waits but
doesn’t know why…
an invitation perhaps?
An invitation to leave
the dark and
cross the threshold
into brave.
Will it ever arrive?
Whatever it is?
This waiting game
is draining life from her.
She crashes into the nightstand
and hears a
rolling in the drawer.
She grasps in the dark
and pulls open the drawer
and shuffles through madness.
Her hands find round, tapered.
Her heart skips a beat.
Is this what hope feels like?
Her hands flit around the item
and she knows, she just knows,
it is a candle.
She reaches into the drawer again,
in search of matches.
She finds a box.
She lights the candle.
Holds her breath.
And she can see.
And she remembers.
She remembers the invitation
sent long ago.
She remembers who she is.
Ahh, yes.
This is hope.
The small light gives her enough to see
and certainty takes root in her heart.
The small light is like a
spotlight on her soul.
It stirs dreams,
stokes hope,
and she believes that there’s
possibilities for her
beyond this smallness
that she has been relegated to.
The light reminds her
of her worth,
enables her to see
the door to the room
she has been shut in for so long.
She turns towards the door
with steps of purpose.
She turns the knob and
steps into brave –
taking the candle with her.
#PermissionGranted
Are you in the dark, friend?
Find truth, seek light, and remember that you were made on purpose, for a purpose.
Are you hiding in darkness?
Cling to light and step into brave.