The sun was coming up over the Atlantic as I savored my morning coffee and thought to myself, “What’s next?”
I was in Florida, on a small getaway with some girlfriends that I didn’t realize I was in desperate need of.
Over the course of four days that simultaneously felt like they flew by and lasted a lifetime, I completely broke my routine. I didn’t do any painting; any journaling. I packed a sketch pad that never left my bag.
Instead I walked. I ate. I laughed. I let myself just be in each and every moment. And in those moments, I wondered:
What’s next? Where have I been? Where am I now? Where am I going?
I turned 62 last month. Is this when I start coasting, or am I just getting started?
I let my subconscious work its way through all of those questions as I filled my cup up with what it needed most: rest.
And through that rest and presence, I came to an overwhelming conclusion that’s been reinforced over and over since I returned home:
Just carry on.
I’ve always had deep-seated goals: Be a painter. Help others using art. Be the best human I can be, and change the world with what I do. (Small goals, to say the least.)
Every time I pause, I feel this overwhelming need to create even bigger goals and higher aspirations for myself.
And yet, the answer during this particular pause was glaringly obvious: If there’s any goal to create for myself right now, it’s to let go of control.
It’s to trust.
It’s to continue on the path; stay the course. It’s not to fight to find “answers,” but to trust that things are going to work out exactly as they’re supposed to.
It’s to carry on.
There are times in life that need us to move the bar; that call us to transform.
And there are times in life when the work we’ve done in the world and on ourselves shines bright, and all we need to do is say yes to all that comes our way.
Carry on.
Trust that whatever path you’re on right now, if you keep going, you’ll grow in ways you never imagined and land where you’re meant to.
Each day is a miracle, and sometimes the only thing we need to do is to appreciate it as such.
💜
P.S. Much of the world is in chaos right now. As I celebrate the rest and renewal I received from this short trip, I can’t help but feel at odds with the suffering that so many people are enduring each and every moment.
I have to remind myself: Joy and suffering are not mutually exclusive. If right now you’re experiencing darkness, you’re not alone.
And if your world is bright, carry on + shine your light to give those around you hope.