I Never Gave Up | 1.29.21
There comes a point in our lives where we’re forced to decide on something, forced to choose. This fork in this road came for Frost, and we know where he went, we know the path he chose and how it made all the difference. It will come for you, as it came for me, and if it hasn’t yet, it will. If it has, there’s a chance another fork may come, another moment of decision that requires bravery and a heart willing to take a risk. One of the defining moments of my life came a few years ago, I was required to decide to continue on the path I was on, or to risk it all and step off, to redirect, to go another way. I never gave up back then, never stopped seeing the light through the dark, never stopped believing that the life I wanted was out there, waiting for me to find it. I chose, defiantly, that joy was worth the fear, that hope was worth the risk.
I will say now, confidently from this side, that I am still not where I know I am going, I know there is a long way left to go, but I know that I am closer than I have ever yet been, I know I am on the right path. There is more work to do, but the life I am living now is already a reward for taking that risk, the joy I feel is worth the fear I felt, the loneliness I endured, the sorrow, the ache.
My question to you on this morning is this: What life do you wish to be living? What are some risks you could take to have it? What’s stopping you?
Never give up, my friends, never, and I promise you the life you’ll be living will be all the reward you’ll ever need.
I never gave up
and the life I am living
has rewarded me.
Haiku on Life by Tyler Knott Gregson
Song of the Day
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My experience is that sometimes the choice is just a decision to grow, not to select one defined path or another. My story is that I was called...like vocationally....to be a teacher when I was four years old. It would be another 19 years before I'd land my first paying job as a professional certified teacher....but I knew the act of teaching others was my path. That said, after over a decade of that work, I had another call from the Universe that I had to take the path of healing....for myself, but also to heal others. That path came in the form of Reiki. For awhile, I felt like I was at a crossroads...am I meant to leave teaching to become a Reiki practitioner? It felt like a crisis of choice....and I sat with it a long time. In the meantime, I became part of some very important work with social emotional learning and working with students who'd been through trauma and I realized..... there are those two paths....but there's a third...and it's essentially the center lane on my own three lane highway. It turns out that empowering people with tools to heal and maintain their own wellness is the halfway point for a teacher/healer. So now I move seamlessly between all of my lanes. I teach English, I teach social emotional wellness, I teach Reiki, and a practice Reiki whenever and wherever the occasion and need arise. In my case, the choice I needed to make was to take a broader view of what lay before me and see what was possible.
A few weeks ago I came to the realization that the life I so often visualize myself into in my head is possible, because I can picture myself being there. I also realized if I keep following the same patterns I will stay in the life I have now, which isn't terrible, but isn't where I would want my evolution to stop.
I've realized this life I want for myself full of freedom, confidence, love, growth, and expansion will all be built on a foundation of energy. So, I've started cutting myself off from energy that doesn't feel free, genuine, loving, nurturing, and expansive.
I believe every step we choose to take now has the potential to start leading us towards the future we want, or keep us in the present life we have now.