ALLOW YOURSELF TO SEE THE POSSIBILITIES
May this be the season of your life that you make the effort to be hopeful and mindful of life here on the ground. There will come a day when new mountains call your name, and you will climb them at the right time. In the meantime, remember that being on the ground is not a hopeless, lowly place. It is rich with billions of acres of soil as the sky is rich with billions of acres of stars. So take delight in it. Allow yourself to see the possibility here. Find life in the present moment. Find hope here on the ground.
Let this be the season you look back on your life and say:
It was there, on the ground
I learned to see this life for what it is,
in all of its beauty, and imperfection,
I learned to embrace the wholeness of it all.
I learned to hold the shadows,
and to also hold the Light.
I learned to grieve what went wrong
and find hope in what was right.
“Being grounded.”
It sings beautifully, and yet, it is no easy way to live. Any talk of achieving greatness or living a fulfilling life often has to do with climbing mountains and achieving great heights.
I do not believe there is anything necessarily wrong with this. I believe there is something distinctly hopeful and optimistic about looking up at heights that are greater than you. It is uniquely courageous about taking steps up the highest mountain.
But is it possible to truly live there, all the time, at such high altitudes?
Is it possible to truly be grounded in this life if our head is only ever in the clouds?
We can get into our heads, and explore the possibilities of what awaits us far off into the high-distance somewhere, but we must also be okay with the seemingly ordinary life here on the ground. We must remind ourselves of the value and importance of being willing to get our hands dirty as we sow seeds into the earth. We must remember it is in the step by step, the face to face, and the hand in hand that we truly begin to connect with those around us. We may have the greatest intentions for our hopes and ambitions, but if we fix our minds only on an unknown future, we will miss the important work we have to do right now to even get started.
The mind is a powerful extraordinary thing, but it is also the part of the body farthest from the ground. We can get in our heads and stay there, without even realizing the days, the weeks, or the years that have passed us by. The mountains are calling us, but this broken, splintered ground is calling us, too. It is calling us to remember that the shadows that we find here are nothing to fear because Light will still find us all the more. The things that have gone wrong and failed to grow here on the ground do not have to keep us from sowing seeds again. This is the art of learning how to hold both shadows and Light. Stretching yourself to trust that amidst the chaos, maybe, you’ll be alright.
Word of the day: Hold (v) “grasp, carry, or support with one's arms or hands” (Oxford Languages)
Journal: Draw a circle and write at least 5 things you’re holding right now. Try to stretch yourself to think about the beautiful things you are holding, too. Examples: A beautiful memory, excitement about a new hobby, good news, hope.
Affirmation: “Today, I am holding onto hope. I am holding onto Light.”
More in this week's series called "How To Dance In The Shadows", only with a subscription in the Storyteller App.
Sincerely,
Morgan Harper Nichols
@thestorytellerco
@morganharpernichols
