Cactus Soul

My solo road trip began on January 12, 2022, heading towards Fairhope, Alabama. Stella and I were traveling north on Beeline Highway - one of the most beautiful scenic highways I’ve ever seen. It was so breathtaking I cried; tears of gratitude, tears of joy and in a way, tears grieving an old life I was leaving behind. I pulled over to take this picture of a cactus. The solitude of the cactus reminded me of the journey I just began - journeying to me. It’s time I got to know the real me and it’s time I learned how to really stand on my own.

I felt lost after my divorce so naturally I thought I needed to find myself. It wasn’t until a friend shared this quote with me that I stopped thinking that way:

“Finding yourself is not really how it works. You aren't a ten dollar bill in last winter's coat pocket. You are also not lost. Your true self is right there, buried under cultural conditioning, other people's opinions, and inaccurate conclusions you drew as a kid that became your beliefs about who you are. Finding yourself is actually returning to yourself. An unlearning, an excavation, a remembering of who you were before the world got its hands on you.” - Emily Mcdowell

This resonated so deeply with me. Now I think differently about my journey. It’s not about finding myself, rather, it’s about returning to me. I started to listen to my heart – which was something that I didn’t know how to do very well.

Live You Now: Write down 11 things that bring you joy, true unapologetic joy. It will be the most important list you create and the list you’ll lean on when you’re having a difficult day.

XOXO