Strength to me is so many things; one of them being my seven-year-old riding this pony around for 20 minutes bareback. No one else would give it a try but she was fearless.
Pulling on that mane to get herself up and then holding on for a ride while singing and laughing the whole time. She had never ridden a horse before, she hasn’t had much experience with animals and she definitely hasn’t had any coaching.
But there she sat, smiling and bareback.
My younger self, and often times my current self, would never do anything like that. I am not fearless. I care what others think. I struggle before taking chances and I need to know how things are going to play out before I offer to accept them.
I am never someone who can be surprised as I would probably have a heart attack and the thought of trying something new and challenging in-front of others would bring me to tears.
Through all that has happened in my life this year I’m slowly trying to let my guard down. To accept new things as they happen, be more open, more adventurous and more forgiving.
As parents we always have to be calculated. We have to get up each day with a plan to keep our little human tribe alive. We can’t fall off course for our little babes have things they need and schedules we have to keep. We are so used to routine, routine, routine, and sadly it isn’t often in that equation that we make time for ourselves.
I am slowly learning that it’s okay to take time for me. It’s okay to be selfish and have my own needs and goals too. It’s okay to sometimes not be okay. To fall back, or skip ahead. It’s okay to fall off course as long as I know where I want to end up and do all I can to get there.
It’s okay to hop up on a horse for the first time and parade around the party as if you do this type of thing every day.
It’s okay that everyone is looking and you feel proud that you could do it.
It’s okay to have all eyes on you while you reach your goals. As what’s the point of making changes if no one notices?
We have one life to live and no one will remember what we didn’t do…. Just what we did do.
So do something that terrifies you… excites you… challenges you.
In your ‘Joy Journey’ this week… I challenge you to throw one morning, afternoon or entire day to the wind… give up your schedule and do something you would never normally do. Take a bath mid day, go on YouTube and watch a video of how to paint abstract, order in take out of something you’ve never eaten before… anything… one thing that is so out of the norm, yet that challenges you, awakens you and perhaps brings you a bit of joy… every now and then break from the norm. It might be just what you need.
We’ve Got This!
@half_full_most_days