Sometimes I take a photo for work and I think... really, that is about my life. Me, standing in snow, outside, on purpose, in winter. Giggling and enjoying what I'm doing. I'm draped in Alpaca on the top (you can't see that bit) and wishing I was out walking instead of working. If you’ve known me a while, you see the personal growth in that statement. I am not, as I have been.
Although, at work, I see people. And I Love People. I get to be one on one with them in that space, sharing a life moment. It amazes me how we are woven into the fabric of each other's existence. We teach, we learn, we bask, in the present, in presence, and be together. No one remains a stranger if you invite them in. Some people are back door, no knocking friends instantly. Some you aren't sure you would let past the front porch. Some reveal more to you about yourself than they do about themselves. Some are sharp and prickly like a cactus, and others have the cushy sweetness of marshmallow. But ALL of them consist of Love. There's a beautiful layer of it under whatever crust they present you with. Some are buried in layers of self protection, still in survival mode out of necessity. Others have had the experience of the deliberate renovation of healing from trauma and they live in a sunroom by comparison, letting light in and reflecting it back.
From time to time, I feel as though I must have a “tell me your life story” sign on my forehead, because people do. I am becoming increasingly comfortable with my particular strand in the fabric of the universe. I am rarely surprised by a story. Pain is written on faces. Joy is written on faces. Resignation, Hope, Defence, Fear. And as I listen, I watch those faces become settled, peaceful. It is beautiful what happens to the body of a person who feels heard and seen, even for a moment.
My boots were designed to protect my feet from the elements of cold and wet. But they were made to take me where I am needed, both for my inward journey, and my outward one. I belong in these boots. And I belong in this world, in this universe, perfectly placed in the One in which we all are. I am woven in to the spiritual fabric of the collective consciousness, without flaw. Isn’t that beautiful?
