Driving along the other day, listening to an album I’ve heard hundreds of times, a song I’ve sung for years comes on. I blindly sing-along the majority of the time—lost in the music and practicing my harmonies, but amid my off-key soprano, I finally heard what the song was saying. An “ah-ha” moment presented itself and I was shocked that I’d never really listened to what it was saying.
“We’re better off for all that we let in.” - Indigo Girls
And we are.
We are better off for all that we let in.
The good and the bad.
We’ve all heard the saying “let go of what doesn’t serve you,” and while I do agree with this sentiment, I think it leaves much to be desired.
In my opinion, everything that you encounter does in fact serve you, even if it’s not ideal. It’s helping you to grow, it’s teaching you to learn, it’s showing you that the world can be brutal but that you can persevere.
With that being said, we do need to release things that aren’t serving our highest good.
This can be a daily practice. Get quiet and ask, “Is this serving my highest good?” and listen to/feel how your body responds. Because sometimes, trudging through the uncomfortable moments may bring life-changing opportunities.
Sheltering ourselves won’t serve our highest good.
“We’re better off for all that we let in.”
Love Will Always Light the Way
I’m an optimist, sometimes to a fault.
It’s not that I live in a shiny, happy bubble of rainbows, but I do allow that vision to motivate me when I fall into depressive patterns.
I am motivated by love.
Gloom is inevitable—it’s part of the human experience. Can you open your blinds and simply admire the sky, even if it’s cloudy? Can you try? Can you allow your eyes to see with love as the filter?
Some mornings I wake up with questions such as: How can I make the world just a little brighter that day? What can I offer? What can I allow?
The thought of brightening the world by simple acts of kindness motivates me to experience the day with acceptance for what is and with hope for what could be.
Sometimes my motivation to spread love takes over and I wake with the ambition to do just that.
I’ve found that this is when I’m at my best, and when I feel most like myself.
It’s in these moments that I can feel my purpose and that generates a desire to commit to trying every day to lift myself up in gentle kindness so that I can share that light. Sometimes that means deeper breaths for myself, and sometimes that means showing up for someone else. It feels so good to share the love that exists inside of you.
There are also the times when I ask, “what can I offer today?” that I get the response: “Nothing. Just get through the day.” and I’ve found the immense beauty in that as well.
We’re allowed to have shitty days. We’re allowed to not “show up” when we’re depleted. We’re allowed to not give when we’re tired. It’s all ok.
Let love also motivate you to love yourself enough to accept the ebbs and flows. But then also remember to keep that motivation in motion—mimicking waves. It doesn’t have to be tomorrow or even next week, but promise me you’ll remember to follow the path of love out of the darkness and into the light. Always.
“We’re better off for all that we let in.”
Songs Are Forever
Humming to the tune of a song gone by, dancing to forgotten melodies can reignite a flame that has dimmed. I was reminded of this during a mundane drive. That one song gave me reminders to have gratitude, to be humble, to have faith, to trust that darkness gives us the ability to see light, and that “the greatest gift of life is to know love.”
Can I motivate you to revisit the music within your own soul?
What can you allow today?
What can you offer?
To those so lost in darkness that they can no longer find their will to seek Light.
I want to remind you that Light is evermore. It is infinite, and it is found via the path of love.
The path of love can be simple, yet profound. As simple as the gentle laying of your own hands on your heart and breathing—being.
In closing, a poem:
I’ve let the ugly in,
discovering demons dressed in floral.
I’ve pushed away beauty due to my own self-loathing.
In absence of self-love, I invited in darkness.
I laid with serpents—seething.
Now shifting.
Shedding my skin of woes
Changing.
Crying for self-forgiveness; I beg.
Calling back my energy.
I rise…
…into love.
About the Author
Born and raised in West Virginia, you'll find Heather's heart outlined in the Appalachian mountains. She has strong passions for writing, healing, and music. She has spent much of her life spreading the message of ‘loving without conditions', all the while kicking up dirt - barefoot and dancing. While she has been an Energy Worker for over 15 years, a self-published author, and a business owner - Heather's truest love lies in being a mother...her continuous reminder of unconditional love and heartfelt laughter.