An Exercise In Clarity, Hope & Faith

Today, in the northern hemisphere, it is the year's longest night.

We have officially reached the darkest point, gone as deep as we can go and for me, there is always a relief in that.

Yesterday, I posted an image of my journal on Instagram, the caption read "Assume you're halfway in & then each step forward, will be one of emergence."

I was referring to what I call recovery. You may call it something else but no matter how we name that journey; it is often one of reckoning.

A deep grieving of what’s been lost, a making way for new possibilities

Someone in the comments said "that's a good way to look at it". For me, it was the only way I could look at it that gave me the courage & the faith to keep going through my darkest days.

Last night, I put to words, a story I often tell my students, about the day I encountered that faith upon meeting a stranger on a path on which I'd taken a literal fall.

I filmed myself writing the piece, which I then spoke into my phone, over the video and so that I could share it with you today.

It's called 'KEEP GOING'. I've attached it to this blog post for you to view. 

We are being tested hard, pilgrim.

These 2 years have not been easy. And yet here we are, still showing up, a little worse for wear perhaps, but how could we not be? Don't be tempted to beat yourself up over that. It's exhausting enough to just stay regulated! Be kind to yourself.

I offer you these prompt as something to take to your journal, think of it as an exercise in clarity, hope & faith.

To everything there is a season. I know today I am excited about the return of the light in the astronomical sense but also for the return - for me - of DELIGHT.

Delight, I have decided, is what I want for me in 2022 and also, it is how I want to show up for others. I want to be a source of delight.

So, here's my offering to you... take some time for yourself today and use these prompts to check in with yourself.

Remembering that the purpose of these questions is not to 'produce answers' but to initiate a quest (Phil Cousineau).

Maybe come back and share with us, what you discover and why you will keep going.

Me? I'm going to keep going because that's what I promised myself.

What about you?

Always, Amanda xx 

PROMPTS: 

• What is the best decision I made this year?

•  Why was it a good decision for me? 

• What thoughts & feelings were behind me making this decision?

• What about this decision was hard? What helped?

• What about this decision was easy? What can I learn from this?

• Why am I grateful to myself for making this decision?
  
  
• What have I learned this year about what is actually important to me?
  
  
• How does that relate to what I want for myself, my work & my relationships?

• How is that going to shape me going forward?

• Here are at least TEN reasons why I'm going to keep going...