Hope and gratitude are a luxury we don’t always have. Sometimes life is too plain hard and all of our energy is spent on just getting by.
Sometimes admitting how badly we need support is harder than doing without. And sometimes, we can’t even see what we need because we are so deep in the weeds.
Often, the redundancy, the mundane, the current of life that seems to carry us along turns the details blurry and the support around us into part of the landscape that we forget to notice.
So today, on the eve of my 50th birthday, in the midst of remembering, reflecting, and possibly a little reframing, I’m stopping to notice, admit, share, and say thank you.
I have many people and things to be grateful for, but right now I want to thank you for coming and reading my blog. For supporting, and encouraging me, and for sharing it with others you think might like it.
It means a lot to me—more than I’d like it to. There’s a vulnerability there. Perhaps that makes sharing my gratitude all the more important.
Your interest, your acceptance, and curiosity motivate me to do more. Think more. Write more. To be brave enough to say what I think out loud. To do scary things, take new steps forward.
As Sara Bareilles says in her iconic song, “Brave”,
“Nothing's gonna hurt you the way that words do
When they settle 'neath your skin
Kept on the inside and no sunlight
Sometimes a shadow wins
But I wonder what would happen if you
Say what you wanna say
And let the words fall out
Honestly I wanna see you be brave”
These are words I have said (more likely, sang loudly in the car) to myself dozens, maybe hundreds, of times in the last five years. Something of a mantra, a kick in the pants. I have shared them with my kids as they move through the challenges in their young adult lives. I have asked them of our politicians, our leaders, the people and institutions that surround us. But mostly, I have been waiting to be brave enough to ask them of myself, to live up to my potential, and to hold myself accountable to be my authentic self. That’s what it is all about. Face the fear, live up to the possibility, speak the words, ask the questions, and take a stand.
Whether you’re a President, a parent, an employee, or a friend, making the brave choice is hard. But we owe that to ourselves and to the ones who love and support us. Say, thank you. Admit you couldn’t do it on your own, that the support and love you receive lightens your load even if it is just so you can carry more. Sometimes, it even means admitting you aren’t the right one to do that work at all. Don’t worry; there’s other work to be done. Be brave enough to say thank you, and you just might find that you, like me, are also ready to say, “What’s next?”.
You are the definition of brave!