the wings of transformation

“The wings of transformation are born of patience and struggle.”

-Janet S Dickens

Patience.

In it for the long haul.

Staying the course until the end of the line.

Being willing to delay gratification.

Acceptance for the slow, unknown process that will yield its results over seasons…

Trusting all will be made visible in time, like a time lapsed video of a tree birthing its spring life, unfurling new tiny leaves, and budding blooms and flowers.

Holding out hope and belief, even before the bloom comes, while you’re in the long liminal space.

Sometimes progress is blurry. Sometimes the body of work we most long to create isn’t clear to us until we have slowly and lovingly forged our way through, creating consistently, and then noticed, after a long stretch of time, that a theme is developing or a collection emerging. Sometimes the change we want to make takes so much longer than we would prefer.

Patience.

Struggle.

The hard work and effort.

Sweat and time and strain and tries.

Growing pains, birthing pains, the unacceptable thought of staying stuck where you are.

Showing up. Day after day.

Being your “True Self and Best Self.”

Facing your fears.

Feeling all the terror we know we will have to move through between where we are now and where we want to go, and then taking that first step.

Doing it even when you don’t feel like it.

Sacrifice.

Perspective.

The challenge is the way. The only possibility for expansion and growth lies within the struggle of pushing through to something new. That’s uncomfortable and often really hard and painful. We have to confront what we believe about ourselves and the world, our thoughts, and how we might be getting in our own way. We have to develop the resilience to keep going when it seems impossible and our internal dialogue of resistance, mixed with external roadblocks, are combining to give us a running litany of Reasons Why We Can’t.

But we can. We must. So we rise. Because, as Sisters of Iron say, our strongest moments are just around the corner.

Struggle.

And then…

Transformation.

You get to break out of your cocoon.

You have strong, beautiful wings now.

You’ve travelled the distance of your latest evolution, and here is your reward.

The gold is in the process.

The process has brought you here.

Higher heights, better views, more of YOU.

You are becoming.

You shine brightly.

You are building and enjoying all that you’ve worked so hard for.

You are not only surviving, but also thriving.

You are not now who you were before.

If we are living well and doing it right, this is a lifecycle that will happen repeatedly in our lives. We will never stop learning and evolving. We will stay true to ourselves and who we are becoming next. We will keep questioning, staying curious, opening, and responding. We will continue to rise and grow new wings, through being willing to grapple with patience and struggle.

Transformation.