As I prepare for another winter visit to the desert, I’ve been looking at photos from years past and finding my heart tenderly swelling for that younger version of myself. I see her face and viscerally feel her unmoored sense of confusion around where she’s heading. She knew deep in her bones that she was on the right path, yet felt so unsure of how it all fit together.
I write now from a place of greater understanding, feeling more anchored in my path than I have in years, and I’m grateful for giving my past self the space to grow, even when it came along with years of frustration and twisty roads of confusion and debt. It was the harder thing to do, the scarier thing to do, and some days, I’m still not convinced it’s all going to work. In those moments of uncertainty, I look back for evidence of how far I’ve come and remember the work I’ve put in and the people I’ve touched along the way. I let myself feel the vague insecurity around what comes next and trust that, when future me looks back to this moment, I’ll feel a similar sense of tender love for my younger self. I allow myself to relax into a faith in the process, hoping the feelings of fear and confusion fade into a future I can’t yet know.
The ways in which we show up today are all we can control. So I ask us all - what can we do in this season of life that will make a future version of ourselves swell with an aching, grateful pride? What small action can you take today?
I will show up for my clients as a consistent safe space for healing and processing. I will spend time developing new offering ideas that are dancing in my mind, and I’ll ask those around me for support in bringing them into the world. I will rest when my body asks, even if capitalism is pushing me to produce more. What can you do today, with what’s in front of you now? Start small and hold trust in the slow growth.
Wishing us all the space and time to reflect on how far we’ve come, and the strength to put in the work for our future selves.
Fellow therapists and healers, I’m following a thread of an idea for an offering around connection + care that’s been swirling in my head and would be so grateful if you would share some of your thoughts with me here! I’ll keep you updated as it develops :)
After reading both of the novels a while ago, I can’t wait to dive into this show and watch this movie!
Your body is forgetting to breathe (+ you can find a few exercises here).
I’ve been using this app to force myself to pause + take a deep breath before checking email on my phone and it’s made me realize how much I turn to it (I know I would be doing the same with Instagram, if I had it on my phone). Highly recommend installing it for accountability on the apps you use the most.
I encourage you to take a few moments to watch this and notice where you’re holding tension in your body.
⋰ email: grace@cadywest.com