In all my moves, in all the places I've seen and lived and driven through and stopped at gas stations to buy postcards, the spaces that are wide open speak to me the most.
I live in a city and I appreciate the opportunities and conveniences it gives me and my husband but heart is in the pasture that stretches out my parent's back door.
It is in the trickling creeks that snake through texas farmland, it is in long stretches of highway. It is in the places that seem brown and dry and barren, but are actually intricate and beautiful and rich with life (if you slow down and look closely).
My heart is in a sky that bowls over my head, that pounds the earth with hail and thunder. My heart is in old places, worn places, places that are untidy. My heart is in the stories of life, those stories told in smooth rock and the dirt underneath our feet.
In the same way, I tend to be drawn to the untidy and imperfect souls in life (well...aren't we all a little untidy and imperfect?). I have no need or want for airbrushing and perfect manners. I have no patience with pretense. I, frankly, won't notice the brand of your shoes or your makeup or the number of friends you have on facebook.
I will notice if you are kind and if you are genuine. I will notice if you cry and I'll hold your hand and then try to make you laugh. I will notice what we can teach each other. I will notice the depth in your eyes...and I'll notice if those eyes are empty or closed off and I will push against that, probing for what's underneath. I will see beauty in your laugh lines, in the shape of your hands, in the way you carry yourself.
And when I mention those things, I will know that more often than not, you will dismiss that beauty of yours and that will make me a little sad because imperfect is the most beautiful.
"There is a crack in everything, that's how the light gets in."-Leonard Cohen
My dream is that one day, we all find our unruly beauty. It's when we see our beauty that we can share our grace, our compassion, our passion. Adore yourself. See the silliness in the way you cry, appreciate where you are stubborn. Within all of us, there are edges to be refined but never lose the essence of your soul.
I would not be who I am if I didn't cry at the thought of animals getting hurt, if I didn't challenge the status quo, get overly picky about cleaning the floors and have a serious aversion to eggs.
Be who you are. Love your stories and your wrinkles and your idiosyncrasies. Perfect is NOT beautiful.
REAL IS BEAUTIFUL.
P.S. Move your body and get reconnected to your wild and unruly self in my e-course, MOVE: a body journey. The next session starts February 27th and registration is open. You can see more details and sign up here.
