I wrote these things through the eyes of dysautonomia and for anyone walking with a chronic illness. But I think they’re actually important reminders for ALL of us through any trial we face. Because we all move forward by turning our face towards the Light, don’t we?

Pain and hardship challenges us and breaks us open, over and over again. But it can also crack us open to grace, beauty, and a brightness of light that can only be fully seen through the shadows.

On really hard days, when the beauty feels smothered, these are a few of the things that have been pillars for me. I hope they are for you too….

1. Take one day at a time - with whatever the day holds, not tethering it to expectation of how it “should” be or how you “should” feel. Just take the next best step, one hour, one day at a time.

2. Stay present - with the emotions, with the earth under you, with the beauty around you, with your body and your life as your companion, not your enemy.

3. Be a student - with humility and willingness to learn, un-learn, and re-learn. We grow as we learn to better tend to the present symptoms, or emotions, or circumstances - through research, trial and error, your own intuition and whispers of the Spirit, mentors, and others who’ve walked the same road.

4. Let yourself hold grief and acceptance in one hand, and hope and beauty in the other - It’s ok to cry, and to get discouraged. Sometimes tears are a salve in themselves. And then, you and I, we take the next best step, with eyes wide open for what’s good. Because beauty and pain always coexist.

5. Look for the light - Look for the light. Look for the Light. Look for the light. Especially on hard days. It’s a life-line that’s pulled me through when I felt like I couldn’t take one more step. There is ALWAYS light seeping through the shadows, and it's often even more magnificent because of them. Seek it out, turn up the music, open the windows, savor something delicious, feel the warmth of a loved one’s hug. We MUST never abandon the light.

6. Remember that you’re never alone - because each of us faces our own form of shadows, whether it’s physical, mental, external, internal. We all have thorns. Every single one of us - walking together towards the light, day by day, hand in hand. And we’re all really brave, and really loved, and really not alone. And sometimes that’s the most important thing to remember.

All of my love and light,
Christina

*Related posts: What is POTS Dysautonomia