As I sip on my lavender latte in my favorite mug, I wish I could sit across the table from you. I would make your coffee just how you like it, foam or no foam.
We would sit outside on the front porch early in the morning, overlooking the sun coming up over the mountains, before the day sets into a regular pace.
I wish I could be near you and provide encouragement for the daily details, nuances, and struggles of life. I would tell you about my process, stories, and share a joke or two. And I’d also tell you that you are amazing, that you are powerful, and that your dreams are worth fighting for. I’d be a listening ear and remind you that you are seen and valued.
There would be moments where we would probably laugh together, cry together, and realize that old friends can reconnect regardless of the length of time or distance we have been apart.
If I could sit down across from you this morning, friend to friend, I’d probably tell you something like this:
I’m finding myself in the middle of process. Both as a creative and as a late twenty-something. It has been painful and it has been beautiful. Since my early teenage years, I have known the purpose for my life and the way I should go. Pursuing these dreams has come with tremendous cost and sacrifice. It has been hard, but has brought so much growth, strength, and gentleness to my life. It has never been easy.
There have been many times in the past week of exuberant highs and incredible lows, that I have brought me to reflect on the past decade of my life. There were failed relationships, people I chose to let go, health diagnosis after health diagnosis, a cancer scare, unemployment, career changes, multiple moves, and going broke. It has been a decade of looking challenges straight on and choosing to keep on climbing.
With each heartbreak, there has been celebration, further discovery of myself and fleshing out my faith. I choose to remain hopeful, knowing that in daring into the unknown, deeply seated in my faith, and knowing that as I travel and move forward in this process, I am one who loves adventure and doesn’t desire to stay the same.
If we were sitting across from each other this morning, maybe you too find yourself in the same place. Maybe you’re still trying to figure things out and the process seems vast, endless, and barren. Maybe life has been full of doing hard things for a while and your heart is ready for a time of refreshing, rest, and joy. Dear ones, I promise you this. Rest is coming and dreams are worth it. You are powerful, amazing, and worth the process. Keep on climbing.