This last year has been pretty rough, and as you may have noticed, I stepped away from social media for quite a while.
During this time, I’ve kept mostly to myself and spent a lot of time reflecting about life’s ups and downs. The beauty of new beginnings. The sadness that comes in the end. And how things rarely work out the way we envision.
Despite our best intentions, not everything will have a happy ending. Hearts will get broken. Chapters come to a close. Things we love will end. And people we love will be lost. And through it all, life goes on.
At times like these, we do our best to process these challenges the best we can - but we rarely get the chance to step away and let it all sink in.
So that’s exactly what I did. Following my time in Oregon, I headed back home for a bit, got lost in the wilderness for a while, and spent the last month trekking across South America. And in doing so, I came to realize -
Life can challenge you at times, and it’s okay to take a break. To pull yourself out of the game, step off the field, and sit on the sidelines for a while. Or to just crawl into your cave and reflect.
To give yourself space to let the lessons sink in. To allow yourself to feel loss, sadness, and regret. And to remember that, even during times like these, there is beauty, love, and light at the end of the tunnel.
And then, whenever you feel ready, you stand up straight, brush yourself off, put your shoulders back, chin up, and step back out into the light.
Because through it all there is laughter, love, and a beautiful life to experience. Special moments to spend with those you love. And so many wonderful stories worth sharing.