Thousands of miles, millions of steps, an endless stream of dream and contemplation. What does the distance I've traveled really add up to, and what has mattered in the long run?
Every experience, from the smallest acts of breathing up to the huge life-changing steps I've taken, has helped me begin to define myself in ways that I would not have thought possible.
I was prideful enough to believe that there would never be a string of any words in any order out in the infinity of communication that, when spoken together, could call to mind no other entity than that which I am; and, who knows, perhaps that is still true, but what has certainly changed is my willingness to accept clarity, and to create in my life the key to the gate guarding progress.
In just a few years of effort, after a moderate lifetime of self-loathing, I have managed to come across the sea from a place where I could not even look at myself in the mirror without risking illness to being capable of saying "I love myself" and really, truly, meaning it.
That shift, viewed in its wholeness, is absolutely incredible. I remember the days where I could not have even imagined standing in the place where I stand now. In fact, there were many days where I doubted that my feet would even manage to carry me this far. I scoffed at the people who claimed to have survived what I was describing, and rolled my eyes at those who told me to stick it out because 'it gets better'. Now here I am on the threshold between all of those negative experiences and what has every possibility of becoming an extraordinary life, and the wheel turns, as I speak those same words as those who came before me.
It doesn't matter how rough it gets, because there is no storm that you cannot weather. Every pain you have endured has served only to chip away at the image you hold of your weakness, showing the strength beneath. Hurt and loss are only two of our many teachers in this life experience, and they bear the burden of administering the rigors you endure in becoming who you are. Do not curse them, or yourself, instead try to act out of forgiveness, and graciousness, because even those things which break you down to your basest parts are only ever purposed for your greater success as a human being.
Take risks, and opportunities. Wear your heart on your sleeve. Never let a bad thing spoil a good one. Follow your gut. Love deeply, and often. Forgive everything.
Be present, and your safe, comfortable, place will always be right there in your shoes.
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