Truth be told

August 18, 2020 - my birthday, the day after a painful surgery, and with the world in a mandated quarantine. It's crazy to think of the things I didn't know, that were still to happen.And yet, all of the journey shapes the truths I've written about here.

​My birthday - August 18th - is one month from today. I love birthdays. I think there is something remarkable about the day we are each born. At a certain moment on that very day, we as unique individuals, separated from the genetic material that housed us while we grew, and entered into a relationship with the world we now live in.

That’s pretty heady stuff when you think about it. And naturally, in our infantile states, we had absolutely no knowledge of this grand debut into the world. Imagine it as a party, in which you are the star guest, and everyone forgot to tell you. 

The good news, is that this lack of awareness left us as children, free to explore and create in our own little way, without the pressure of having to report on our findings of this great experiment called life.  

However, at some point in this connection, we ourselves became aware not just of the planet around us, but of our conscious self and the interactions we had with it. To put it simply, we awakened to the thought - whether we understood it or not at the time - of “I exist”.

Cool right?

You would think this makes us pretty enlightened beings. But the older I get, and the more I live and experience the world, the less actual knowledge I realize that I truly know. So if this is case, have I learned anything thus far on this crazy topsy turvy journey of mine?

Believe it or not, the answer to that question is a resounding “Yes!” Therefore here’s a few insights - personal truths if you will - that I often reflect on:

• Grace does not have to be graceful. 
• Strength does not need to be a show of force.
• Beauty has no set definition.
• Compassion starts with yourself.
• Love comes in a variety of forms.
• Joy is not always shown with a smile.
• Time does not have to be measured by a clock.
• Peace may spring from chaos.
• Healing does not have a prescription to rely on.
• Truth is not always easy to say or hear.
• Light does not have to be balanced out by dark.
• Dark does not always have to be a bad place.
• Courage is not always recognized as such.
• Bravery may spring from a reaction to fear.
• Fear isn’t always a bad thing.
• Faith might be trusting yourself to get out of bed.
• Trust does not always have to be earned.
• Patience is not always a good thing.
• Some things aren’t “good” yet nor are they “bad”.
• Growth is not always obvious.
• Language changes as our understanding of the world does.
• Our understanding of the world is defined by the form we use to express it.
• No one has to prove their worth.
• Worth is not measured by dollars.
• Dollars, like gender and gender roles, are social constructs - not facts.
• There is no “us” vs “them”. There’s just people with different ideas.
• Art doesn’t have to be understood to be appreciated.
• Understanding art doesn’t mean you have to like it.
• It’s okay not to like stuff.
• It’s okay to absolutely adore stuff.
• It’s okay to love people who disagree with your taste on stuff.
• DNA does not automatically make you family.
• Family do not have to share DNA.
• No one has all the answers.
• You don’t have to have a purpose or a passion to have a meaningful life.
• You get to decide what a meaningful life is.
• Saying yes to one thing, means saying no to another.
• Saying no to things, creates space for your yes moments.
• Sometimes love really does hurt.
• Happy moments can be scary.
• Scary moments can have happy endings.
• A simple act of kindness can result in big changes.
• Failure at something, is almost a guarantee for everyone.
• The only thing guaranteed in life, is that at some point we all die.
• Love is the greatest gift of all.
• The human capacity for love is infinite.
• There is no limit to what love can motivate us to accomplish.

What have you come to know to be true at this point in your life? 

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