We all have Baggage.
We all have “stuff”. Perhaps you tie yours up in different colored ribbon than I do with mine. Nonetheless, it is present, difficult to bear, and, if we allow it, all-consuming. Why do we work tirelessly to pretend like the hard times don’t exist? To cover it up and act like it’s not there? Like it’s not consuming our thoughts, shifting our perspective, and changing the way in which we see the world.
What I know from having done it for so long is that to pretend is exhausting. I used to walk around convinced that I was fine, life was okay, and that my problems weren’t as big as they appeared in my mind. This is often a lie and if we pretend for too long, it will leave us crippled with anxiety. The simple truth is we cannot outrun pain. It will always catch up if we do not confront it head on.
Ya’ll, why do we do this to ourselves? Why do we, almost out of reflex, put on a mask when things get tough? Since when did we equate vulnerability with weakness? We are all so much more alike than we care to admit yet we underline and italicize our differences rather than celebrate our uniqueness.
Open the Floodgates of Truth.
I’m ready to do real life with real people. It is okay not to be okay. We are all struggling in various capacities- struggling with things from our childhood, past relationship, or unfulfilled dream. I think we often mask the pain and discomfort for fear of judgement.
I understand the concern and in many cases, our hearts should be protected. Very few people deserve admission into the tender places. As research professor Brene Brown says, “You share with people who have earned the right to hear your story.”
This life is a lonely place if we don’t have people that will walk through it with us. We don’t need a dozen of these forever friends; we just need one or two that promise to be there even on the most difficult days. What if instead of pretending the chaos didn’t exist, we committed to embracing it? To sit fully in our truth instead of run from what’s following us.
Trent Shelton
Never be ashamed about being broken because strength is nothing but pain that’s been repaired.
Let Freedom Reign.
So I’ll start- I’ll commit to be as transparent and vulnerable as I can in hopes that it serves as an invitation for you to do the same. I believe that the first step in building a community of women who want to see each other succeed, starts with creating a space that allows us to be unapologetically ourselves.
As you will hear me say many times throughout the pages of this platform: Welcome. There are no prerequisites for this space. Come as you are; stay as long as you’d like.