It’s popular to motivate, encourage, and keep things positive. And I aspire to do that as much as I can. But life… also brings heartache. Pain. Shadows that creep in just when we thought the light had won.
“They” say darkness comes before the dawn and I’ve found that to be true.
My darkest hours happened nearly ten years ago. I’ve moved forward. I’ve accepted, forgiven. But still, there are moments when that old darkness returns, triggered by a memory or thought. Life can still throw curve balls that change your direction and a lot of times you have no idea where or when you will land.
The heart can heal, but the mind? It records everything. And sometimes, without warning, it hits play.
When it does, you can fall down the rabbit hole. Lose your footing. Feel hopeless. And in those moments, hearing well-meaning affirmations rarely helps. Sometimes, they make it worse, and you feel you need to defend your right to feel pain.
Hard to admit… but real.
Still, when working with people they come to understand something beautiful. When you allow yourself to sit with the darkness, to move through it with eyes open, they often discover something powerful, a golden nugget buried in the murk. A new piece of clarity. A deeper truth about who they are, what they want, or what they need.
Yes, it’s scary. But it’s also illuminating.
And when they finally rise out of the dark, I hold that nugget in their hands , they’re stronger. Brighter. Glowing with the knowing that they are okay. More than okay. They are whole. Capable. Changed. Each time, they return with something new: a strength, a skill, a shift in understanding. That’s the gift. I have experienced this in my life so many times. That’s why I no longer fear the descent down the rabbit hole.
I believe in reaching for joy, for ease. But I also believe in being gentle when I trip, or jump, into the shadows again. And so can you!
Because in that contrast, you get to choose.
Hold on or let go.
Move forward or stay stuck.
Accept your truth or deny yourself.
That’s why self-kindness is everything. Let painful thoughts drift in without attaching meaning. Most don’t mean anything, unless we decide they do. Instead, use the challenge to explore the deeper caverns of your being. You might find treasure. And just so you know, I offer these tools, insights, and inspirations not from theory, but from lived experience.
So if you’re in the rabbit hole right now… I promise, the dawn will come. And it will be even more beautiful for the dark that came before it. If you’re looking for someone to help you through, someone who truly understands what it means to sit in the dark and find the gold, I’m here. You are not alone.
