"It is about being as fearless as one can, and behaving as beautifully as one can, under completely impossible circumstances."
- Toni Morrison
Life feels impossible some times. The obstacles too overbearing and the resistance too great to overcome.
And then we see a light. Someone lends a hand, or sends us smile from across the room. We feel hopeful, joyful, connected. Tomorrow, we doubt ourselves. And then the next day, we look and feel radiant. Shining from the inside out. We wonder why we even felt so small. Today, we can conquer the world. Nothing is impossible and we move effortlessly through the world. How long will this last? What will tomorrow bring?
Life is a circle, a cycle. Like the moon, we wax and wan. Sometimes, full of light and brightly illuminating the skies. Other times, behind the darkness, in solitude, seeking comfort, care, or confronting fear. Hiding, simply resting, or quietly, defiantly, resisting.
Take in a deep breath. Exhale audibly, if only internally, and release.
Nothing could be simpler and yet profoundly hard to remember that sometimes this is all it takes. To recalibrate. To re-member. To realize that life is not as complicated as we make it.
Perhaps this is what Toni Morrison meant when she said “behaving as beautifully as we can.” Finding our way amidst a world, a time, a place, when the circumstances feel impossible. That grace and beauty surround us, that we can create it, with a breath or brushstroke, a gentle gesture, the magic of moonlight.
Show up for that possibility. Show up when it feels impossible. Show up with your joy and beauty. Shine your light brightly, with audaciousness, without embarrassment or hesitation. Like the moon, know that the steadiness of your daily arrival, be it full and glowing, or a delicate sliver of light, is a brave and beautiful thing.
x Alisa
Photo credit: “the magic of the moon”, cyanotype by Alisa Barry