Who Is Life Asking You To Become?

Every summer in late July, I experience two completely different days back-to-back. And every year, I’m naturally asked to pause and reflect, not because it’s scheduled but because I had no choice.

One day celebrates another trip around the sun (hey 51, I’m here!). The next reminds me how quickly life can change on Patrick's death anniversary. That combination has a way of putting things in perspective.

There’s one question that’s kept popping up for me. 

Who did I have to become because of what life asked of me? 

I’d honestly never looked at it that way before and it’s changed everything. It stopped the pressure coming from questions like “what have I accomplished” and “what goals have I reached” into something much more meaningful. 

And as I thought more about that question, I realized it extended far beyond just grief and moving forward. 

Over these past several months, I’ve been thinking about my health differently too. 

I’m asking more questions, getting more curious, listening to my body and actually giving it what she needs. I realized that if I want to show up well for myself in this next decade, these are non-negotiables.

I think many of us are in this season of life right now and it’s bringing a level of discomfort we’ve never felt before. 

In our bodies, how we think, relationships, career transitions, who we take care of and how we need to show up while that’s all taking place. I mean damn, it’s even looking in the mirror one morning and realizing we’re in a chapter we’ve never been in before and questioning who’s looking back at us. 

It can be overwhelming.

Every season asks something different of us and the question isn’t “Will life change us?”. Of course it will.

The real question is whether we'll trust ourselves enough to grow alongside those changes instead of fighting them.

THIS is what my recent AHA moment has been. 

Trusting ourselves enough to not necessarily always know what to do, but believing we'll become the person who can handle whatever comes next.

As we head into this new month, maybe take a minute to ask yourself:

• Who am I becoming in this season of life?

• What is my body (or my life) asking of me right now?

• And where can I trust myself just a little more?