I just finished a book that sat on my shelf for a very long time – I renewed it 30 times from my library! I guess I picked it up at just the right moment – when I needed a reminder to be tender with myself.
I’ve been so occupied with getting from here to there… from “unemployed” to earning an income to support my family; from being a business owner to becoming the next thing, whatever that is. Getting to my future, to where I want to go, to my next best version of myself. And while I’ve also built many wonderful things into my life - rest, joy, creativity, family & friends - I’ve still, in my mind, been thinking ahead to what comes next and putting pressure (and sometimes unkind words) on myself to just get there already.
As I was reading Water Moon, by Samantha Sotto Yambao, these lines were a gentle reminder to be tender with myself.
“…life is about finding joy in the space between where you came from and where you are going…. Happiness does not exist in a place. It lives in every breath we take. You need to choose to take it in, over and over again.”
For me, being tender means giving myself a break. It means allowing for whatever is happening right in this moment. Appreciating the life I am living, not wishing for something else or for the future to come quicker. Being right here, right now and feeling the beauty of that breath.
That is tenderness… and vulnerability.
Putting down the drive to reach for what’s next. The drive for something better.
It feels scary and tender to admit that I love my life as it is, and myself as I am right now - in between where I’ve been and where I’ll go. And if I’m honest, I’m not sure it’s true. Not all the way. But I want it to be, and saying it out loud feels like a start.
Because none of us truly know where we’ll go. And if we can be tender with ourselves now, we’ll know how to be tender with ourselves when we get there.
So I invite you to take a pause and ground yourself in this moment, right here, right now, in between where you’ve been and where you’re going. Send yourself and your life some love, happiness, and tenderness. Give yourself a hug. You’re right where you’re supposed to be.