Hello♡,
This week, in-between everything, I am thinking about the power of “writing”things down. I use quotations around the word “writing” because I think there are many ways to do this that are as unique as each of our individual lives, loads, and stories.
The great irony of this week’s topic is that I thought of it while bustling three kids between different schools and drops offs, on a busy work day, with my carpool partner, our dog Sweetie, in the back seat.
And well, you guessed it - I forgot to write it down.
My favorite ideas usually don’t come to me when I am sitting down to write or create something - sure that happens sometimes. But more often I am hit sideways. It feels like something meaningful comes at me from the side and I didn’t see it coming. And I am moved, inspired, grateful, excited, convicted to do more - you name it.
But then, life moves fast. Information floods into my soul from the internet, my own life and people, my responsibilities and roles, and the flood washes away with it what I want to remember. Can you relate to that?
It may not be writing ideas for you. It may be noticing the profile of the person you are always with in a new way as they crack a smile. It may be standing in your kitchen feeling grateful to have this quiet moment, and this space, to call your own. It may be remembering who you want to be in a flash as you see yourself reflected back in an interaction. It may be understanding, in your bones, what you only intellectually agreed with before, and feeling your soul shift gears. It may be a friend showing up for you in a way you didn’t expect, or the relief of putting on soft pants after a long week. It may be understanding your worth in a way that felt out of reach before.
We are all hit sideways sometimes. The moments our souls KNOW something they didn’t know before. It can feel like knowing something 3 dimensionally instead of only 2 dimensionally. But these moments are not predictable. In fact, they’re often madenningly unpredictable and impossible to self-produce. We cannot fabricate them.
And when you have this lightbulb moment, where you feel completely immersed in a KNOWING in a way you didn’t seconds before, it sometimes feels like it will last forever. It can feel like you will NEVER forget this knowing, this insight, this idea, or this depth of understanding.
But we do. We forget.
And it is OK to forget things and to relearn them over and over again, I (quietly raises hand) do this regularly. I imagine we all do.
But what if we can hold onto that moment of knowing just a little bit longer. With a pause. With an imprint. With a pen to paper, or “notes” App on our phones. An acknowledgement of the knowing will be as individual as the knowing. What would it be like to metaphorically, or literally write it down - on your heart, in your notepad, or on your phone? To be more present with your own self and knowing?
What would it be like to pause in a way to honor what just occurred to you? This can be done, and “written” down by calling or texting a friend, turning the “aha” moment into a prayer, going for a walk with the knowing stirring in your chest, or just saying it out loud.
What I am saying today is this: Life moves fast. This is not necessarily an error, or a problem to be fixed, and frankly sometimes we can’t fix it. But life does move fast, and information can flood and wash away our moments of KNOWING. And taking a moment to honor the knowing can help it hang on a little bit more, get a little more sticky (in a good way), deepen, or take us to another moment of unexpected knowing.
I often use the “notes” app in my phone to write down a thought I want to expand. I sometimes take a walk and pray out loud, or talk to a friend. I may call my husband, or save it for a quiet talk after bedtime. Sometimes I call my mom and dad. Sometimes I take a mental picture of the feeling in a beautiful moment I don’t want to forget.
I recently told two friends how at a stop light I suddenly knew the awful feeling I had been carrying in my chest all week - it was shame. It took me 5 days to get to that unexpected knowing as I watched the crossing guard usher children across the road. I wasn’t expecting clarity to hit me then, but there it was as the crossing guard stepped back onto the sidewalk for me to drive through. I hadn’t been sure what was happening with me, and then suddenly I knew. I felt unlocked by that unexpected knowing moment, and intentionally sharing it with two close friends helped me not to lose the freedom that knowing offered.
So, what is it for you?
What can we collectively inhale, exhale, and honor that you know today or this week? It doesn’t have to be big, or profound. Maybe it is gratitude, maybe it is insight, maybe it is hope, or a creative battle cry. Maybe it is knowing it is ok to be sad, or that you are not alone.
One moment now, hand to heart, to allow that knowing to take more root. Inhale, exhale. And allow it to be “written” down a little deeper into your heart.
“writing” it down with you,
Monica
This is brilliantly written and demonstrated via poignant metaphors and lovely images, including of the eager carpool companion dog! Thank you. Helpful. Amazing.
Thank you so much for reading! I am so glad!