Highs, Lows, & Plateaus…

     BEFORE you read (if you read) any further, I want to draw your attention to the pictures… these very different pictures are the same exact tree….

     One of the heaviest burdens and stresses we carry is trying to keep up appearances for the acceptance and approval of other people—that’s oftentimes detrimental to emotional wellbeing.

     “Enjoy the highs, Learn from the lows, remain Steady during the plateaus…I was reminded of this quote by Sam Chan from a recent sermon. And though, I have a pipeline of posts that I planned to share throughout the month of May, in honor of #MentalHealthAwarenessMonth—today, I thought to share a current moment.

      I took a walk this morning … in the rain. And only those that are in my inner most circle likely know that I had an aversion to rain for many years, and dreaded having to go out into it… so much so that as a high schooler, my dad noticed my hesitation to leave for school, so on no other day would he—except for when it rained—take me to school. Ironic, I guess, because as I would later come to discover was that my aversion to rain was an underlying result of a suppressed memory of standing in the rain at the cemetery to bury my mom.

     That said, it seemly has been raining an awful lot in my area lately—and for me it’s been literal and figurative rain. Neither of which promotes the feel good endorphins for your girl. So, in an intentional and deliberate way—I have needed to walk through the rain despite how it “feels.” And I attribute my resilience to a life powered by God. And because of that, one of the most critical values that I have learned is to “feel.” I don’t anesthetize, trivialize, or minimize what life is teaching me in any given season—like the student of life that I am—I sit at the feet of my teacher/my savior—and listen (hear),  and learn. And I generally come back stronger and fuller in the following season—which seemingly is a pattern for anything that is planted. 

     So I felt compelled to share this because I thought it important to remind someone that may need to be reminded that in LIFE—real life—not social media life—AI life, but in our human experience—life will abase and abound… despite how that may “feel” or transpire—there will be “highs, lows, and plateaus.” And if you allow yourself to feel—it is a healthy pattern and growth process—a  trajectory—towards allowing yourself to grow.  And I know some pain—albeit physical or emotional—or a combination of both can feel like a death blow, and seemingly too tremendous to endure. I absolutely understand—but just like this tree that is not currently (externally) as pretty as it will again be—its beautiful return is planted and rooted in its DNA—because it’s a pattern powered by God.

     Hang in there—and hold on tight.☀️🌹

#SeekGodEarly 🙏🏾💜

#BeWell🦋

#MentalHealthAwarenessMonth 

#Cshaw 🌹

#BeWhoYouSayYouAre 💙