“If you are never alone, you cannot know yourself.”
-Paulo Coelho
Years ago I was offered advice to write down all of the things that I wanted in my life within the following five years, seal it up and wait to open it. I stumbled across this list recently when I was organizing my office (and ironically right before leaving on my first solo vacation in over a decade). Clearly marked, “Open October 2016.” Given that the deadline had passed six months prior, I opened to see my dreams unfold.
Listed: to have found love; to be married with a child or one on the way; health; working part-time doing something that I love; security in myself; sober; have a dog and cat; feel happy.
There’s enough space in the world for us all to shine bright!
Martin Luther King, Jr. was referring to opposing forces when he said, “I have decided to stick with love. Hate is too great a burden to bear.” This is one of my all time favorite quotes. I hold a deep belief that light is always bigger than dark; forgiveness takes far more courage than anger; and that while the path can feel slower and harder, love always wins over fear and hate. These values hold strong and true when I think of the discourse of the world. But, today for the first time I read this quote and thought about how I could apply it to myself. I immediately stopped in my tracks.
Across the country families and friends are gathering around the dinner table to celebrate Thanksgiving and share what they are grateful for this year. I love this day about community, food and gratitude – totally my type of holiday!