The last few months have been a wild ride. Just three months ago, I was at what seemed like an all-time high. But of course every high has to come to an end. It felt like everything around me suddenly came crashing down. Bad news kept on coming. I kept telling myself, “keep it together”. If I kept it together, everything would be fine. That was my hope, at least.
Unfortunately, that is not how life works. You cannot sweep things under a rug and hope it all disappears. Your worries, troubles, and fears are not just going to go away. You see what happens next is what really hurts you. It is also what builds you. So much stuff gets piled underneath that rug and eventually, it all comes out. What you had hoped would fix itself is now back at your feet. So, what was the point in sweeping all of your mess under that rug in the first place? You were afraid. You thought that by sweeping your troubles away, you would save yourself some heartache. However, it all came back. While you’re thinking back to what you should’ve done or could’ve done differently, there is no going back. You are where you are now for a reason. This is something I have to remind myself daily. It’s easy to look at everything you have piled under your rug and see it as a bunch of baggage. However, that baggage is a part of you whether you like it or not. You have to embrace it. In fact, I like to look at it this way: The more baggage you have, the bigger your trip and the greater your destination.
Embrace your scars and your pain. Embrace your fears and frustrations. Embrace your trauma. Embrace your insecurities. Embrace it all. It’s so easy to embrace things when they are good, but this life is not full of good. You have to be willing to endure the storms to see the sun shine again. Even more so, you have to embrace yourself. All the stuff you keep sweeping underneath the rug is a part of you. If you are anything like me, you often fear it will be too much for those you encounter. So, instead of dragging others along, you push them away. Don’t feel bad for that because you are human. You want others to see only the good, but you don’t have to pretend. Be vulnerable. Be open. Be yourself. Embrace it all.
You are not too damaged. You are not broken. You are not incapable. You ARE full of life. You ARE loved. You ARE enough. EMBRACE who you are and live.
Daily Des 