I was talking with one of my favorite Milagrans recently after her massage (and in case you haven’t noticed, pretty much all Milagrans are my favorite. Except the ones who force me to wrangle their cell phones out of their grasp while they’re supposed to be unplugged for spa time. Bless. Their. Hearts.) This particular Milagran and I were catching up on life, which is what I do when you visit since I’m incapable of small talk.
And do you know what this lovely soul said to me? You’ll never guess.
She said, “my mom told me recently if we all stood in a circle and put our problems in the middle for everyone to see, most of us would be happy to take back our own. I think she’s right.”
Unremarkable? Heard it before? Easy for her to say?
This particular Milagran has a brain tumor. How’s that for perspective?
I desperately needed to hear this (from her, especially) because I like to marinate and obsess. I’m a gold medalist at only seeing the obstacles and crap piles and then spending a lot of time asking what I did wrong and why I’m such a mess and how I’m going to fix it all. And from the bottom of that pit I look up and see everyone else’s perfectly shiny story and wonder why I can’t be more like that. They’re so ON TOP OF IT. Effortless. Graceful. Together.
If there’s anything (so many things!) I’ve learned from my chats with Milagrans, it’s that looks are unbelievably deceiving. The messes that people are dealing with inside their depths are stunning and mind blowing. And really quite amazing. Some days I wonder how we’re all walking around like normal(ish) functioning human beings.
But each of these internal wrestling matches are our own. They uniquely belong to us and we must use them to contribute something meaningful and beautiful. And that’s life, isn’t it? Not necessarily the starring role in a grand sweeping adventure, but tackling the unexpected detours of my own humble plotline with the determination to become a better Ashley at the end of my story?
I just have to be brave enough to let you read it.
Brilliant card from Emily McDowell; available at Milagro.
Comments