How Are You?

Sit down. Straighten your back. Breathe in. Breathe out. When was the last time you checked in with yourself? When you ask your own heart, “How are you?” How does it feel? Heavy? Light? Are you hiding from your own answer? Be real with yourself. See clearly the way you move through the world. What moves have you made lately? Do things seem to be moving so fast without you? Is nothing moving at all? Maybe you feel completely aligned with the pace of your life. What does your gut say?

As we approach a day of Thanks, start with yourself. Give the gift of meeting yourself where you are at, without judgment or criticism. This is where genuine gratitude grows. Once you feel it for yourself, it is so much easier to give to others. It is okay if you are not where you thought you’d be. It is okay if you’ve made mistakes. It is okay if you do not regret those mistakes. Maybe you haven’t been honest with others or yourself. Maybe you haven’t been trying as hard as you could. Maybe you don’t have the energy. Maybe you’ve given it all you have just to be left for nothing to show for it. Maybe your ambitions have changed. Whatever your circumstances, be gentle and forthright with yourself. 

All people have hardships. Some hardships are so much more insurmountable than others. So I am not going to tell you to be thankful for this life. I will not tell you to be thankful for your pain, your struggle, your heartache. But there is so much to be thankful for in the small and big ways certain moments and people make it bearable. All of life is a cycle. Move with it. Feel into who you are, who you’ve become and who you want to be. Observe where you are. Look at all that has brought you here. Maybe you don’t feel gratitude. Maybe you just feel relief. Maybe you feel elated. Maybe you just feel exhausted. But one thing you can always be sure of is that your story is still unfolding. There are more new paths to tread and different choices to make. There is still so much to be and so much you don’t have to be anymore. Isn’t that something to be thankful for?

Breathe in. Breathe out. Straighten your back. How are you, really?