Lost

If I am entirely honest, this past weekend was probably the most challenging one that I have had in some time. Pushing aside the standard procurement of beautiful weekend family images, I come to you with a little bit of what is also real life today. That is not to say that those beautiful moments are not real life. They are– but I think it’s tough because it is necessary to discuss the bad along with the good in order to understand what a full life is made of. No life is perfect, and the good moments are a heck of a lot easier to talk about.

Driving myself to work this morning included a lot of introspection- and faith-based radio- and I wish I could say that it all brought me clarity but as I arrived at my destination at 7:15am, I felt no clearer than I did on Friday… or yesterday… or at 4:30am this morning as I stood in front of my bathroom mirror. So much of my life since it became my own has been about regaining and holding onto control around the things that I can but there are some things that I just can’t control because they aren’t mine and I am not meant to be the keeper of them. And so, I am in the mud. I am down in it and as of this morning, I find myself unable to climb out just yet.

I think the hardest part of feeling lost today is the lack of emotion that I am feeling around it. The standard for me has always been an ability to feel the emotions– all of them– no matter how ugly and exhausting they are, and it is in the confrontation that I find healing and move forward. Right now, I just feel- nothing. I am separated from my emotions which I can’t help but notice must be some sort of defense mechanism. The dreaded wall is up.

I did have a brief moment last night where everything just came out. In the lateness of the evening, the exhaustion of barely sleeping all weekend… I couldn’t keep it buried just then. My little guy next to me in bed, watching his ipad. I just let it silently flow for a moment and turned to lay down. He switched off his ipad and turned to me, hugging me through the overwhelming feeling of loneliness. I can’t explain the feeling of it, like the transfer of strength from this little amazing human and he didn’t even realize the power of it. God knew what he was doing when he gave me this one.

Now I just ask myself– where do I go from here?

A note from one woman to another..

I was reading an article about women yesterday and ran across a comment left by a woman below the article:

“As a woman you are lucky to have one TRUE friend in your lifetime. Women are just brutal towards one another.”

It struck me, hard, as I thought about my own difficulties in highschool and fitting in. I was the nerd in highschool, the bookworm, the one who spent my free time singing in multiple choirs and attending Spanish club. I struggled to relate with a lot of the girls around me at my highschool.. some of it due to our differences and some of it most likely related to the fact that I’d grown up with three bothers and a not a sister in sight. I was the girl wearing her brother’s hand-me-down Batman Forever shorts who hadn’t brushed her hair in over three weeks. I was that girl and I didn’t care if anyone else liked it. I barely even noticed.

Fast forward to my young adulthood—as my circle of friends changed and expanded, I came across an ugly reality—women can be deeply hurtful to each other and very cutting. As I moved through the dating realm, I discovered that men rarely made me feel ugly or insecure about my body but there were many women who did. What was even more surprising was that many of these women were of the age where they could be my mother. Why did they think this was okay?

Some women seem to fall into the belief that when they make these remarks, they are simply being “helpful” or maybe playing the part of the concerned mother figure. As far as young women my age go, insecurities seem to play out more quietly. There may be whispers among friends or comments that have a deeper more cutting meaning that you almost have to look for to find it.

It all comes down to this—the circle of friends you choose to place around yourself. Male or female, negativity and an ugly spirit can be found in anyone so you must then choose to remove yourself from that kind of energy.

I have been blessed to find a few amazing women in life. As a woman whose mother has not been a part of her life for many years, it has truly been a beautiful feeling to find further empowerment through some truly awesome ladies. I have learned to be discerning in my friendships when it comes to my close circle. I have chosen them in life and they have chosen me and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

I am also blessed to know some pretty amazing men and lucky enough to be spending time with one of them this weekend. My dad.

Project a little sunlight into the life of someone else around you today– you may never know who badly needs it. Have a beautiful weekend, everyone ❤