No Pamphlet?
I read a post by someone I follow online. The post said simply, “Pray.” She offered about 15 words to describe the why in the text. She thanked those who had already been supportive to her over the last couple of months. She described this time in her life as “a moment with no handbook,” and it immediately struck me.
The truth about walking through tough times is that they’re tough to us, even on roads have been walked down by millions of others already. There is something that can make these traumas tolerable: belonging. Being seen and being loved.
I’ve experienced a lot of life in my 46 years and the truth is, it feels largely unremarkable to me. When it gets remarkable at all is when I drop any pretense that I know what I’m doing. When I show up in the truth, authentically, without pretense, without shine - that’s when the magic happens.
Authentic vulnerability and being in community are two big keys to finding your way to the other side of the struggle.
What can you do in the midst of a terrible storm?
Show up every day as your true, authentic self. The awesome parts, the strong and weak parts, the sucky parts. When you do this, you are so much easier to connect with, and that’s critical because…
You need a community of belonging. A place where you can just be, with people you trust, people without judgement, who don’t actually maybe possibly have a single solution, but are willing to sit in the ick with you until the ick hurts a little - or a lot - less.
