I took a big sigh as I started to type this. It’s the end of the year, so you know what that means – reflection and goal setting for the upcoming year. I held my first circle this past Saturday for 10 women and that was the theme: 2024 intentions. I walked the group through a meditation to find their word for the new year. Once they had it, a few of the questions asked were: what does that mean to you? What does that word look like or represent?

Mine was Health. Interestingly enough, I knew that was my focus, but I got a deeper meaning than I expected. When I think of health, I automatically go to the physical. I was reflecting on how this time last year, I got physically sick and that seemed to kick off a wave of major changes in my life that didn’t just affect my body, it swept through my mind and spirit as well. I’ve come a long way in 12 months; I know I have. So, it makes sense that as I journaled to really dig into what health looks like for me, I had some pretty big reflections. Yes, there were some major wins. Celebrations that I’ll take with me and expand on next year. There were also some major losses, with lessons that I’m still learning and integrating.

Today’s journal entry of reflection had me facing both: dark and light. We often push aside the darker parts of ourselves because we’re scared to admit that we have these undesirable qualities. As I looked at myself and the people who surround me, I forced myself to be vulnerable and honest. What is a light and dark quality that person reflects to me? Where do I see myself and how do I represent those qualities as well? If you’re brave enough, I invite you to do the same exercise. I opened and closed my journal quite a few times, sometimes sitting in silence and reflecting. Other times, I would get up and look for a distraction so I wouldn’t have to face what I knew was truth and needed to come out. I had to remind myself that there is no one sitting in judgment of me other than myself, and we are so often our harshest critic. It’s hard to sit in discomfort, isn’t it? It’s funny because, it wasn’t pages upon pages of thoughts like my entries can sometimes be. 2-3 pages. That’s all. Vulnerability can be so hard, but it’s so simple.

So, I’m going to make this simple too: Life is meant to be lived in gray. Right and wrong exist on a fundamental level: Don’t steal. Don’t hurt others. I’m not talking about the basics here though. Somehow, we’ve decided that we now get to determine right and wrong for others in everyday life. We’ve made a mess of it by not realizing in so many things, our version of right can be another person’s wrong and vice versa. Guess what? Almost all times, we both can live our truths without it affecting the other person. That is, if you’re willing to allow it to happen without feeling the need to force someone into what you believe. If more of us realized that there would be less judgment and suffering in the world.

Where have you been black or white where you can learn to live in gray? Because at the end of the day, we’re all just a reflection of each other. Regardless of skin tone, race, religion, sex.

Energy reflects energy.

Wishing you all the best holiday season.

Always love,

T