empowered

I’m feeling the scaries coming over me… a little hesitation and angst for going back to work after time off, the micro dramas and fears we let run in our minds if we aren’t careful and attentive, the natural feeling that results from being in a place or situation where you don’t belong. (But I also want to be clear: sometimes you feel the scaries even when you’re precisely where you’re meant to be, and sometimes the scaries aren’t a Big Indicator of anything. Sometimes feeling the angst and dread isn’t a flashing warning light but simply means you’re human and this is one of the messy things we feel sometimes, for all kinds of reasons.)

I thought saying Thank You might help keep me in a space of clarity and gratitude, rather than spiraling down the scary tunnel.

Today I am grateful:

To be home and for my soft, fluffy dog. I’m grateful for my husband and all the cool things he does and how the way he lives his life constantly invites me to live mine more fully. I’m grateful to live on this super cool planet. I’m grateful to travel and grateful to come back. I’m grateful for food and good ingredients and to have meals organized for the week. I’m grateful for easy cooking. I’m grateful for flowerbeds and loved homes. I’m grateful for kind friends and neighbors. I’m grateful for hammocks and bubbly water. I’m grateful for swimming pools and beds that wrap you up in the best welcome. I’m grateful to get to keep practicing.

And on that note, another thing that curbs the scaries is a reminder of our power.

A love letter, to you and to me:

You are infinitely capable, autonomous, remarkable, and empowered. You can achieve whatever you believe in your heart, fix your eyes upon, and set your mind and determination towards. You are strong. Strength starts within, and you have wells of it, running deeply in your core, surging through you, perhaps going unnoticed, but it’s there. You are strong in the way you live, empowered through the choices you make, bold in your brave actions. What you do makes a difference. You can make a difference for yourself, at any time. You can always say yes and always say no. Whatever you choose to say each to is where your power lies, because you have the ability to change the course and alter the outcomes in each and every moment. This is your right, your potential, and your responsibility. It’s your privilege. It’s the joy and strength of your life.

You are the only person who can write this story because you’re the only You. You get to live. Really live. Don’t forget. It’s all up to you.

You’re invited, every damn day, to show up for the greatest party — your life! You don’t have to bring anything but yourself and your indomitable spirit. Come as you are. Make your ruckus.

My husband told me, in his wedding vows to me, “You are capable of the grandest of endeavors.”

Remind yourself, as often as you need to hear it. You aren’t suck, because you are strong, and nothing can take away your power. Use it; it’s yours.

P.S. File this under advice for a friend, pt. 2. 😉❤️