I've been learning life lessons throughout the past weeks, and although sometimes it felt a bit hard, I am grateful for my ability recognise the need for change in my life. Things have been quite busy as of recent, and when there's a lot on your plate its easy to rush through life without taking the time to reflect. Reflection is key for self-improvement, but also for self-awareness. It's good for us to know where we're at, how we feel, what we want. Knowledge of this things enable us to grow, as we evaluate our current position we enable ourselves to set goals for greater heights. She who begins a journey must first know where she starts.
Here are some lessons I've learned as of recent:
Time tests relationships, it's the different seasons we go through that highlight the types of relationships we have
Relationships are beautiful. I am a firm believer that true companionship makes life all the brighter. We all long to be understood, and friendship is a great place to feel this. But first impressions can be deceiving, especially in relationships. The first week of meeting someone won't tell you everything you need to know about them, and that's just life. But the beauty of this is that as time goes on you will continue to learn more about them. Don't base all your expectations of a person on your first meeting. Be open to the truth that people change, and people express themselves in different ways as time goes on. Not everyone you meet is supposed to be in your life forever, and not everyone is meant to be your friend. Some people make amazing acquaintances, and some become like family.
That's life.
Feelings don't need to rule you, but they should never be invalidated. This is how you feel - embrace it. Acknowledge it.
Hiding feelings doesn't do you much good, addressing feelings and choosing to set them aside for a more rational and mature response does do you good. There is a difference between being responsible with how you express yourself and hiding how you feel, the latter is destructive. We need to be accepting of who we are and how we feel, not everything needs to be expressed, but no part of us should be ignored.
When you're burnt out, you begin to lose passion for the things you love. Burnout ushers in a season of self-discovering - discovering everything you need to love to be you, but you no longer do.
Burnout can be ugly. It can make you apathetic or even bitter, the energy to be anything but selfish sometimes dissipates. Burnout in my life was creating a nonchalance and even a distaste for the very things I had loved. I just didn't want to put in the effort, it took some time before I realised this, and now that I have, I'm working out of it. I'm seeing that even here in the place of rehabilitation - learning how to live without the burden of stress - there's something to appreciate. I am being given an opportunity to fall back in love with everything that makes me, me. The writing, the poetry, the music, the compassion. I am rediscovering myself in a new way, building up a greater appreciation for the parts of my heart that are unique. It's lovely how even the uglier sides of life bring forth such beauty, beauty only available to us if we're willing to see it.
Today I encourage you to look at the areas of life where you feel you've backtracked, see them as another opportunity to learn and grow. Share your lessons with someone and congratulate yourself for moving forward.
As always I love you,
Washday Talks
