circling back

In some ways, it's hard to believe that we are four months into the new year and this is my first blog post of 2021. In other ways, it seems completely natural. Our routines have been thrown to the wayside, our lives have been thrown a curve ball and we are all just feeling a little bit off. Life has just been...well...messy. And with all that has been going on in our small little world, there just isn't much to say that doesn't involve negativity or division. Because, to be completely honest, it's been uncomfortable to sit and think about it all...to stay in one place too long and let all that has happened, come to the surface...and be ok with that. To be ok with the discomfort that it brings to think that in one microscopic year, so much has changed. To be ok with this regular reminder that we can sit with hard things and come out the other side a little bit more wiser than before. That we might not have always handled things with grace and ease this past year, but we are still here, making our way through, the best way we know how. And sometimes, it's that knowing that we have been through difficult times before that gets us through the day ahead of us.

Because, let's be real...we have all been here before. We will all be here again. We have all felt and struggled through these challenges...some more gracefully than others...but when the dust settles, I am finding myself circling back to knowing that this too shall pass, good or bad. That this, whatever side you fall on, will pass and will be replaced with even more challenges to face. Even more frustrations. And even more beauty. It will. Just hang in there.

And breathe.

Because most of us have spent the last year living in fear. Like, paralyzing fear. Like never leaving your house fear. Forgetting that this sweet life is still going on, despite what is on the news every night type of fear. Despite what is on our facebook feed, despite what our friends and neighbors are saying. Life is happening all around us. And most of us are missing out on the good stuff because we are living a life engulfed in fear. And what I am finding is that this is nothing new. It's how most of us have always approached life. It's what holds us back from taking a new job, stepping into a new relationship, (or leaving of an old one), changing our habits, going on vacation, meeting new people, hanging out with friends...it's everywhere.

And now we are even being encouraged to live in fear. And if you don't...well...don't get me started on the judgement and ugly division that takes place between our family members, our friends, our co-workers. We somehow have forgotten how to be respectful to one another, how to trust that everyone can make their own decisions based on the information they believe to be true and best for themselves...and it doesn't mean they are uneducated, selfish or don't care about people if they choose something different than you. It's about stepping out of fear to live this short life we are gifted and making the best of it however we feel comfortable. And allowing everyone else to live their best life without judgement. Without name calling. Without trying to pass your fear on to everyone else around you.

No thank you. You can keep the fear. I am going to keep plugging away.

And you might want to also. Because life is just passing you by. Connections are being damaged or lost, children are being taught to be afraid of others, and we are all suffering because of it.

Stay safe in whatever way that feels good for you and let others do the same. Turn off the TV and get outside. Dig in the dirt, plant a garden, talk a walk. Fill your mind and body with what makes you feel good...and let others do the same.

And feel free to come and join me for a cup of coffee when you're ready, and we will catch up.