The struggle is real.
Transitioning from one chapter in your life to the next is a daunting and overwhelming task. The land between is uncharted territory that doesn’t come with a map. It will break you open, chew you up, and spit you out in a blink of an eye, leaving you to spend the foreseeable future picking up the pieces and trying to put them back together.
All too often we shy away from allowing ourselves to be the conductor of the Hot Mess Express on the Highway to Hell because we are afraid of what we might find underneath the pile of crap and baggage that was just dumped in our lap.
The thing is that if you don’t claim your crap at the station, sort through the shit, and hop back on the train of life with a lighter load, then you’re kind of stuck where you’re at, without the ability to change your ticket.
Things come up for a reason. It’s your subconscious’s way of saying you’re ready to release some of the things that no longer serve your highest good.
You can choose to resist it and suffer the pain, or you can choose to ride the wave and go with the flow. Let me tell you, it’s much easier to surrender to what is than try to push it away.
What’s meant for you is coming either way and will make its way to you eventually. Why resist the inevitable? Open your arms and accept it, even if it looks like a scoop of shit on on a cone topped with whipped cream and a cherry. Often there’s a golden nugget or two tucked inside if you’re willing to dig deep and search for it.
This is how we grow. We dig through not just scoops, but piles of shit we get served when on the journey of self discovery.
And we do it with love and gratitude.
We are here to grow! Silly humans we are, and tend to forget this quite easily, or plain avoid it outright because it’s uncomfortable. Transitions are never easy and require us to step into the unknown, which is, let’s face it, scary AF.
So many of us right now are in the midst of writing a new chapter and reinventing ourselves. Allowing ourselves grace and compassion while we navigate uncharted waters of transformation and rebirth frees us up to become who we were always meant to be. Compassion for the self, devoid of judgment, gives us the space we need to blossom and be nurtured with love and understanding for who we are at the very moment.
But we’re not quite there yet.
I find that I can’t let go of some of the reigns the past still has on me. And I know I’m not alone on this one.
We’ve been conditioned to believe that our past makes us who we are, and that it’s hard to escape, it will catch up to us, and that we need it to continue so we can have a sense of identity.
Part of our identity comes from how our past has shaped us- letting that go can feel like deserting ourselves. However, holding on to that version of who you were doesn’t allow the integration of the higher version of you to come in, who will be able to reshape the patterns of the past from a new perspective.
And that can be terrifying. Releasing parts of who you were and who you think you need to be creates space for the higher self to emerge. Reinventing yourself asks that you continually create more space to allow in more awareness and healing so that you can step out as the main character in your next chapter.
This space inbetween is where all this chaos ensues, and we shed our skin all hidden away in our own little world. It’s dark. It’s uncomfortable. It’s unknown. It terrifies and excites us at the same time. Everything we think we knew about who we were is about to be shattered into pieces as the next level version begins to form in this cocoon.
There are so many questions and so much doubt. “Can I really handle all of this?” will cloud your mind at every other bend down the road. You’ll be exhausted yet filled with a renewed sense of energy from an unfamiliar source. You’ll test out some new features of your upgrade.
This space between is the deepest, darkest, scariest place imaginable, yet a paradise to be revered in the same moment. It is both the light and the dark of who you are, asking to be explored, acknowledged, and enjoyed.
This is the end of the tracks for the Hot Mess Express. It is now up to you to come out the other end of the tunnel. There is no turning back. The old version of you is already dissolving. There is no choice but to surrender to what is, and take the next step forward as the bridge crumbles behind you.
What are you willing to leave behind so you can come out the other side? What are you willing to see, learn, and understand about yourself that you may have been avoiding? What do you need to come to terms with and forgive yourself for so you can move forward as a more confident, courageous person?
How willing are you to just take the first step inside this no man’s land?