Waves

There was nothing like wave days at Petoskey State Park as a kid. My sister, brother and I LIVED for the big wave days in Northern Michigan. Mom got off work at the hospital and we piled in the minivan, boogie boards and Capri Suns in tow, to body surf and ride the waves to shore until sunset. One of my favorite moves was swimming straight into a wave. Diving in and feeling that inexplicable force of water and wild, somehow coming out cleanly on the other side, and the rush of not knowing how closely the next would come from behind. If we focused on the excitement and thrill, the fear of being weightless and powerless was lost in the rush of it all.

Little did I know, this taught me everything about life. 

If we resist and stand strong, we may be okay with the smaller waves but the big ones will knock us down, give us crazy hair, and maybe even leave us tossed around like a fish at shore.

If we accept the challenge and dive fully in we get the fear, the thrill, the clear “up and down” of the journey, and come out the other side standing tall, geared for the next. 

Neither way gets us through unscathed, and how we handle the waves is up to us. Either we hope to get by, or we dive fully in. Either way, the time passes - and the waves keep coming until the next stillness, the next calm.

The past few years have been some of the most best and most challenging of my life. They have meant the highest highs and the lowest lows and if it weren’t for soul searching, writing, and downright courage I might be that fish flopping at shore. 

Instead, I learned this:

If we dive fully into even the hardest waves, wave after wave, we may just end up with a confidence and clarity unlike any we’ve known. Because embracing it all - the good, the bad, the ugly, may just leave us drenched in contentedness like never before. 

We have the choice to internalize it all, hide it from the world, or we can be honest, learn irreplaceable lessons, and feel a deeper connection to everyone around us because of it. 

Let’s make a world where people big and small feel safe enough to know they can be strong AND nervous. They can be tough AND afraid. We are all all of these things, all of the time, but sometimes some shine more than others, and all serve a purpose (except shame - toss it ;)) 

Here's to Thursday, y’all.