Calm + [Assertive].

The truth is...this is what I am learning to be with these days. 
The truth is...how incredibly flawed and human and not-at-all perfect I am. 
The truth is...I’m learning to have compassion for myself and how hard this is and how to make amends and show up again and again. Heart full of love, wanting to do my best.


But this is what moved me: We think we move through the world unseen. But sometimes (just inches away even) is someone who can hold the hard stuff with you. Our vulnerability creates a space for connection. A tender place where others are allowed to step in and offer what they naturally want to give — their comfort, their kindness, their presence.

The truth is...kindness can transform the hardest of moments.

The truth is... I have a mantra for these moments-- calm + assertive.  

The truth is...I chant to myself, Calm and assertive. Calm and assertive. I’m not sure why, but this helps me stay grounded and not lose my cool, even though I can feel that rage building inside of me, that part of me that wants to yell and scream.

The truth is...I was trained at a young age to give people their space, to not pry, not to ask questions, to not get into anyone else’s business. If I had a problem myself, it was not to be dumped on anyone else. But I can see now that this advice was from people who were terrified of their own vulnerability.
The truth is...we need each other. And we need our friends (family, neighbors, anybody) to know the real truth about how we are doing. 
The truth is...we need to remember that we all struggle, and if it ever looks perfect from the outside well, it is far from that. 
The truth is...we need strangers to comfort us too, to remind us that help can come from anywhere, even from the most unexpected places. 
The truth is...we need to remember that (mostly) the world is safe and good and sometimes even a little bit magic.
The truth is...waiting for the perfect anything is a waist.
The truth is...just saying yes and go, is really that easy.