Life is not a solo journey

"You know its not such a shame to have lost yourself", from Turntable by Dead Horses.

We spend our adult lives finding ourselves, and that this often involves removing the illusions and falsehoods we have told ourselves from the core of our true being. At some point, or maybe multiple times in our lives, we feel that we have lost ourselves- that we have lost sight of who we are and what we want. I think that this is not in itself a negative, but rather a chance to do the work and get back to who you are. Who you are without the fear of failure, of being unloved, of being insignificant, of not being enough.

Today I challenge you to take a breath without judgement of your physical body, emotional state, or environment. Commit for just a moment to the here and now that you get toexperience. Sitting here, reading this, do you like yourself? Are you brave enough to love yourself? Forgetting the materialistic goals and the societal expectations thrust upon you, are you happy?

Some days these simple questions and their responses are humbling, because inevitably we will not like ourselves. We hear only the 'should'- I shouldbe grateful for my health, for my job, my home, etc. We get so caught up in what is outside of ourselves that we neglect our reflective practices, those few quiet moments when we look inside of ourselves and honor what is there. If we don't do the internal work (the housekeeping if you will), then how can we invite love and joy into our lives? Without checking in with your internal self, how can you offer love and support to those around you?

Years ago I was unhappy and feeling lost and came across this phrase: "you will never leave where you are until you decide where you would rather be". I'm not sure who said it first, but it got right to my heart. It is easy to give voice to the negative aspects of a situation without fully understanding how it came to be or what about it truly bothers us. If we don't understand, how can we take action, move forward, and find solutions?

If today you are humbled by the lack of compassion and respect for yourself, breathe. If you cannot find love for yourself, accept love from those around you. We are here, without judgement. Life is not a solo journey, but a collaborative effort to survive and thrive despite the fear of the eventual unknown.

You are seen. You are loved. You are enough.