Healing Journey
I have been thinking a lot about healing journeys, transformation and staying the course.
Sometimes, it appears as if the mountain is too steep to climb. Perhaps the valley is riddled with thorn bushes or the bottom seems to never be found. The road is long and full of unexpected turns. The ocean ebbs and flows so rapidly, you cannot catch your breath. You truly wonder if you can make it, sometimes losing your way, losing focus, losing hope.
In exploring the idea of “staying the course”, I realize that can be overwhelming.
One can get so easily discouraged if they step off the course or question whether they are even on the right path. I was thinking it is best to adopt a definition that gives hope. Staying the course means that if you start a healing journey, you stay on the healing journey until you reach restoration. When you veer off or misstep, you acknowledge it is part of the healing journey, not a departure from it. In that way, your focus remains on the healing and hope can be retained.
A journey, in the simplest definition, is the act of traveling from one place to another.
When we chose to heal, that means we have to travel from a place of pain, hurt, fear to a place of truth, peace, relief. We travel from confusion, anger and rage to forgiveness, understanding and calm. Ultimately, we dance with the discomfort, heartbreak and oppression so we can step through the wound and allow healing in our hearts, minds and soul. It is not an easy journey but the freedom obtained at the end is priceless.
As the weather brings us into Spring and Summer, I am watching the trees fill out, flowers bloom and growth happening all around me.
It never surprises me that no matter how I start off my hikes, I always return feeling energized, free and smiling. We are constantly transforming every moment, even when we don’t think we are. Every breath we take is a new one. It is new life we take in and then release into the atmosphere.
“Never give up” can sound like such a cliché yet, it can also be the most encouraging three words to hold on to.
If you want to stop hurting, struggling, suffering or feeling confused, make a choice to start a healing journey. If you don’t know where to begin or how to start, connect with a friend you feel safe with or a counselor. The first step will always be admitting to the pain and speaking it out to someone you trust or to your higher power. The second step is making a commitment to the journey, accepting that you cannot determine exactly how it will go, only that you agree to stay the course.
As you travel on your journey, make sure to affirm the changes you see, feel and experience.
Be proud of the small, tiny things and be humbled by the obvious changes people begin to notice in you. Celebrate your insights and be kind to yourself when dark moments hit. On difficult days, crawling is acceptable even if that means you are simply wiggling on your bed. There is not a perfect or right path to take, simply a beautiful choice to make.
