Always Passing Through
Dear Unconditional Love - what would you have me know today?
Oh, love. I know you’re worried about today and this weekend. That makes sense. It’s a new feeling prioritizing what you need over the comfort of people you used to be so close to. I’m so proud of you for putting your own health and calm first.
I see you doing so much of that these days. It’s a hard habit to break. The habit you used to need for survival - don’t inconvenience others, don’t make them feel uncomfortable, don’t disappoint other people, etc. etc. etc.
But now you use your favorite Glennon approach of always “disappointing others before you disappoint yourself” and do you notice what a difference it has made, is making, and will make? I know you do. You always feel relief after you have the hard conversation you need to have, after you cancel the plans, change what you committed to, say no. What a cool immediate gratification exercise. I know the “ripping the bandaid off” part is so hard. It’s quick though, right? A little sting and cringe, then relief.
That’s what freedom is. Freedom isn’t constant relief. Freedom is recognizing what you need, doing the hard things you need to do to get what you need, and THEN feeling that relief. This makes it so much more obvious that freedom is not a destination. You can never “arrive” there. You are constantly passing through towns of freedom, towns of ease, and also towns of hardship, frustration, and resentment.
But here’s the thing, love. We are all ALWAYS just passing through. That’s what academic school is like, isn’t it? Why would Earth School be any different? We pass through classes, learn things, take tests, get things wrong, get things right, do better next time, do worse next time. And then we move on to other subjects that sometimes draw on our past experience, and that sometimes are entirely new.
Do you notice those little moments now of your academic journey coming up from your past? It’s less about what you learned in a classroom and more about what you learned with your heels on the ground earthside.
Hmmm this is familiar, when did I experience this before? What worked? What didn’t? How might I apply my past to my present? What can I try this time?
It’s all trial and error all the time, love. But the foundation of freedom is YOU. You always know the core of what you can rely on to get you through the next thing, even if you haven’t been through the exact situation before.
It’s why you’re such a huge empathy advocate. You know that you never have to have gone through the EXACT situation someone else is going through in order to identify, relate, and connect with them. You can connect with the FEELING they’re experiencing and tell them you believe them in how hard it feels for them right now. How cool is that?
Use your empathy this weekend, love. For yourself and for the people who are entering your life as you move through the town you’re in now. And remember, it’s all temporary babe. I’m here whenever you need me. I know you’ve got this. I love you.
This is my temporary home. -Carrie Underwood