I Know This To Be True
The older we get, the more we evolve emotionally and spiritually, the larger the category of all we do not know grows. It’s vast, this arena of all that is beyond our comprehension and so above our pay grades. Youthful arrogance is shed like a snake’s skin. We have been tossed around by life. We have had our tender hearts smashed to pieces. We have been startled, and left breathless. We are battered and scarred. We are tougher. We are stronger. We are softer, because that’s what battering does, it smooths out all the rough edges. We are kinder. We are more tolerant. We are wiser. What we do know, however, becomes clearer. Our vision is sharpened. There are a handful of things this 57 year old woman, wife, mother, friend, aunt, daughter, sister and therapist knows with 100% certainty.
Topping off the list of what I know to be true for certain is this: shit’s on it’s way. For me. For you. For us all. Shit’s on it’s way. I say this somewhat jokingly, because humor always softens truth, yet deadly seriously, because truth matters. I have zero idea when or where it will land. I have no earthly idea what form it will take, or how long it will stick around. I just know it’s on it’s way. For us all.
Should this knowledge fill us with dread? Should it cause us sleepless nights and anxiety attacks? No. In fact, just the opposite. This awareness propels us toward peace, gratitude, joy and living fully in the present moment. It clarifies the importance of respite, of filling our soul with all that will be necessary for us to possess in order for us to weather the next storm.
Knowing this creates the space for Grace toward others in our orbit. When we are going under, when we feel overwhelmed with anxiety and pain, when we are facing life and death situations, and then we hear someone complain about something ridiculously inconsequential (to us) and every fiber of our being wants to slap them Grace reminds us…shit’s on it’s way for them too. We don’t feel this with malice, or vengeance, but rather with a softening, a loving realization that it is simply not yet their season and in that moment we need be neither less, nor more, than another. Our pain requires no comparison or rationalization. Misery, in fact, does not benefit from company. We are simply one of on our own journey. Nothing more, nothing less. Just one of. We are in the season we are meant to be in. God, or the universe, or whatever you believe is bigger than you, does not love us less, or more, than any other and our current situation is never, ever, a reflection of Divine Love. Believing it is is a reflection of ego, and is never about spiritual connectedness or humility. Our strength, our resilience, the whispers that float through our minds urging us to keep getting back up, all those precious souls who step up and toward us in our darkest hours ARE a reflection of that love. Lean in. Move toward that love.
Shit’s on its way. If it’s already on your doorstep I’m so sorry. I hear you. I see you. I feel your pain. It never stays forever. Please remember that. Remember to only wear clothing you can bleach. Open the windows wide to let in the fresh air. Breathe in and out through your mouth. Wear protective goggles. Look up at the stars as often as you can. It grounds you in time and space. Reach out and up. Always reach out and up. If it’s at bay, if it remains on the horizon embrace the joy, the peace, the silly moments of the present. Laugh often. Eat well. Sleep. Dance. Sing. Kiss. Hug. You are preparing for the battles to come. You are never, ever, alone, no matter what the stories in your head would have you believe. We are right here with you, even if you can’t see us. We’ve got you.
