Sometimes we need to be sad

Or mad.


Or grumpy.


And that’s ok.


My week started out kind of rough, with my blinds crashing down and breaking my thumb and streaks of fluorescent green light flashing in my eye. All of which was a bit scary and disconcerting, but with good medical care (for which I am very grateful) it’s all going to be just fine.


In the meantime, I was tired and achy and down. I didn’t want to hear about facing my challenges courageously or being resilient. I felt grouchy and didn’t want anyone to try to console me or talk me out of it. 


And I’m so glad my friends and family heard me out, let me rage against the pricks for a while, and helped me remember that sometimes all of us feel upset, discouraged, down and out, and that’s OK.


Being given the time to feel what I felt and move on when I was ready was an amazing gift.


I was reminded of the book Full Catastrophe Living by Jon Kabat-Zinn who encourages us to embrace all of life, all the pain, stress, and illness, right alongside all the joy, delight, and vigor.


This week I needed that gift of being accepted and supported while I experienced some full catastrophe living, the whole messy, wonderful mixed up world of real life. 


How often do we give this gift to others when they need it, especially our kids? I am so grateful to those who gave it to me and more committed than ever to paying it forward to those around me.


Here’s to failing forward through the thick and thin of life and being there for each other along the way,


Anne 

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