Remember how fearless we felt as children? From swinging upside down on monkey bars to running wild on our neighborhood streets. We lived with imagination…. fueled by endless possibilities. I think about 10-year old Shelby often lately. Some of the simplest moments were enough to make her entire day. Now, as I work through my own life transitions, I long to reconnect with her again. 

It’s time to take off my “cape”. 

Progressing through my life, I have re-lived the continuous cycle of trying to be superhuman. Have the best grades, fit in with everyone, do allllll the activities, be on top of my game, prove yourself to people, excel, excel, excel. Which also translated into the way I carried myself in friendships, relationships, my career, and more. When I didn’t live up to “superhuman” in my mind, my errors felt like weights crashing down on my confidence. 

Right now, I find myself at a crossroad. 

Here I am again… in a season of embracing failure, endings, change, and errors. While it could be so easy to default into self-deprecation and isolation… I’m choosing to stand in the light. Closing my eyes and feeling the sun warm my skin. To remind myself I’m still here. I’m alive. Like so many other times before, I’ve made it through again. This is where I’m reconnecting with 10-year old me. Striving to maintain daily joy and hope for a better tomorrow. I push to find happiness in the smallest of ways and reintroduce imagination into my perspective again. 

We tend to wear our capes and to a certain extent, rightfully so. We have been brave and lived through experiences we felt had no end. We should celebrate ourselves proudly, yet be mindful of the cost when we don’t take it off for a bit. I think when we take some time to remove the cape, we confront some of our deepest fears. 

We see people can still love us for who we are with our imperfections.
We learn some of our suffering is truly self-inflicted.
We see in real time our mistakes do not define the measure of our value.
We start to see ourselves beyond the parameters we unfairly set for ourselves.
We begin to enjoy our everyday life more too.

If you do anything this week, I hope you take a little time to free your shoulders up a bit. I promise you’ll feel a moment of relief.

And that moment alone, is enough to help you keep moving forward.

Sending love and light,

Shelby

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