The Space Between | Where Honesty Lives

At some point we have all been guilty of binge watching a TV show to the point that Netflix conjures up the audacity to ask “Are You Still Watching?”. We all know that Netflix is really trying to say “are you still alive? are you still an active participant in what is happening?”

I recently received that same question in an email  from WordPress this week. It has been a year since I last wrote to you all and apparently that warrants an auto generated “How Is It Going?” email.  I knew the real question was “do you still have something to write? Have you learned anything in the last year.”

The answer to both is yes.
So here is a glimpse of what I learnt in the past year.

1. When moving to a 3rd floor apartment carefully consider all grocery purchases. A watermelon loses it’s charm after the 1st flight of steps.
2. Sometimes you have to let people go even it if breaks your heart. Tell them it hurts, but also tell them that you are excited for where their path is taking them. And that you will be waiting when they come back with tales of adventure.
3. Committing to someone else is scary. Committing to yourself is straight up terrifying. There are no embossed invitations or white tulle ball gowns at that party. You’re the only one invited and only you can choose to say I DO.
4. Allow others and yourself to change and be OK when people don’t understand why. To quote Hannah Brencher » “people are humans, not museums.”
5. There is no such thing as too much communication when it comes to group projects.
6. Own your mistakes. We are never the villains in our tales of woe but we aren’t innocent either. It doesn’t matter if the other person is 98% guilty. You own your 2% and you deal with that before you try to play your victim card.
7. Learn to forgive yourself and accept where you are on your journey. It’s your’s and it’s impossible to ruin, you’re not behind or ahead. You simple are where you are.
8. Have a moment that you don’t share. Not every text needs to be sent and not every cup of coffee needs a picture. As un-millennial as it sounds, let yourself experience what is actually happening in front of you.
9.  Never underestimate the power of a glass of wine and a warm salt bath.
10. Be generous with your praise. Our economy makes millions of dollars selling us on the believe that we are not good enough. Everyday there are a multitude of opportunities to verbally speak out and share what we like about each other.

2016 was a roller-coaster of a year and I apologize for not being there if you needed me to be. In truth I needed to learn to be there for myself first.

Sometimes it is really easy to just let Netflix keep playing episode after episode. But there always comes a point when we have to decide whether or not we are going to be productive so that we are ready to answer when questioned about what we have learned. So my question to you, my darling, is what do you have to say? What are you learning? What are you challenged with? Are you being an active participant in your own life? I really want to know because I need you and this word needs you.