11.17.23 // Looking Back. Facing Forward.

Looking Back. Facing Forward.
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Reflection provides a sense of clarity when you're looking at the past.
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The uncertain outcome of a moment or decision is now clear, the next step you could or should have taken seems right in front of you, and you realize that the answers you chased were never far from reach.
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But while clarity wasn't in those present moments, it almost always exists when you look back at the past. And in searching for that past understanding, significant growth can happen. It's the reflection to see our choices objectively and get to know our past selves with loving curiosity.
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I went into the holidays last year with the enthusiasm I had been lacking for years, only to have my enthusiasm robbed and replaced with someone else's malevolence.
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But while this year started heavy with reflection, the last few months have been delightfully forward-facing, trusting the lessons I've learned, surrendering to the truths of where I came from, and believing even in the most confusing moments that I have the answers inside of me.
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I know as I come up on a year anniversary of the "dark unfolding," I'm bound to look back often with disappointment in myself for not seeing things faster. But I'm excited to turn my face forward in a gentle reminder that I've learned what I could from that heartbreak and pain and I know that forward is the future. A future I couldn't be more excited to experience.