A note to the woman on the beach, last week:
I just hope you know you are free to start over.
You are free to breathe deep,
take the leap, and try new things.
You are free to brave these new unknowns,
not perfectly, or even effortlessly, but honestly.
For even here, in these unknowns,
your restless heart beats for more
And even as the sun leaves the horizon tonight,
there is still more in store.
You are free to start over.
You are free to start over.
After all you have been through,
today was still brand new.
And with every day you are alive,
there will be more days before you.
You have not missed out
on what was meant for you.
Continue to embrace the unknown
and what is new.
- MHN
II
I try to make it a practice to pay attention to my surroundings, whether I’m in extraordinarily beautiful places or ordinary places. I try think kindly of those around me, even if I know nothing about them at all. I don’t do this perfectly...there are many times where I’m in my head, busy, rushing from one place to the next. But there are also moments where I manage to slow down and look around. Last week I noticed someone watching the sunset. She was watching the sunset like many others, including me. I don’t know why, and I don’t know who she was, but these pieces and these words were inspired by her, and that moment. “You are free to start over.” That was the simple message I walked away with that night.
I often compare myself to other writers whom I feel write a lot more profoundly and prolifically than I do. I compare myself to artists who I perceive as more talented or qualified. But when I’m in a beautiful place and I happen to take a picture, notice a sound, a moment, I am reminded that I have a way of seeing things, and it matters, even in its simplicity. What I write and what I paint may not be for everyone, but that’s not the point of it. What matters is to notice. To be present. To see every single day as an opportunity to try again. Paint again. Start again. New beginnings do not have to be perfect. They do not even have to feel effortless. What matters is that I am honest. Present. Knowing every new day is wrapped in grace.
