"Don't study this moment. Be in it." 

This is a quote that I not only underlined but dog-eared the page in Brene Brown’s newest book, Braving the Wilderness. It hit me and kept me pondering for several pages after reading it.

We are not traditionally good at this.

We like to circle high above, safely removed, untouched and untouchable.
How much of our lives do we miss because we are circling above instead of being smack dab in the center of it all??
Safely snuggled in between the stories of our lives instead of actively writing the stories ourselves.
We study the moment, emotionally removed in an effort to preserve what we think is important about our versions of the stories being written.

Being involved may mean we

lose our control,

lose our edge.

lose our objectivity,

lose our pulse on the matter,

because the truth is, when the heart gets involved, it gets messy!

"BE IN IT"

Do you dare?

It is a very brave thing to step into your own life and feel every part of it!

To stay close when things get tough, to move in when things get heated, to sit still when things feel crushing, to dance when it feels embarrassing, to speak up when it feels risky, to ask for help when you feel small and insignificant, to see when others turn a blind eye, to remain when all others walk away, to feel all of it, in every moment no matter how small or big, no matter how consuming or diminishing, no matter how crippling or life-giving — no matter!

All of life…all of it!

The births and the deaths,

the important and the insignificant,

the serious and the silly,

the purposeful and the trivial,

the heartfelt and the heartbreaking,

the memorable and the forgettable,

the big picture and the intimate details,

the joy and the sadness,
all of it!

The truth is the sweetest of moments are not as sweet without the bitter parts of this life. The bitter is what makes the sweet sweeter. It is what makes us savor the sweet moments because if we are living IN our lives and not OUTSIDE of them we know that bitter moments are coming and they will take our breaths away wishing for sweeter breaths.

No one said this life would be easy, but they do say it is worth it!

I have lived most of my life from the outside looking in, staying a safe distance, hiding my true self because I thought I was guarding my heart but it was a lie. I have walked around soul dead for so long – the tip of my tongue tasting the sweet and bitter but not taking it all in and holding it in my mouth to experience the depth of it all. No MORE!!

 

I CHOOSE TO LIVE WITHIN

It’s scary but it’s so, so worth it!  Because at the end of it all –

the story is so much better written in your own handwriting instead of just a good read!