I met a girl today…I guess it’s best to call her a woman.

She doesn’t see herself the way she is, but I do.

Her words are beautiful, her layers deep. She decided to go on an adventure, on a trail she’d never taken before. She had an idea of the destination she sought, but wasn’t insistent on it, remaining open to allowing her path to unfurl before her.

As she journeyed her way up the mountain, solo, she wasn’t afraid to engage in conversation with strangers. How often people walk by with no exchange, but she acknowledges everyone around her, as if she sees everyone in her presence as a gift that she warmly accepts into her world.

She is observant and meticulous too. It’s rare that she crosses a boundary that doesn’t warrant crossing. She assesses, then takes a mindful step, even when it pushes her to the point of discomfort. And one might think it would stop there, but there is more:

Her laugh is full of joy. Her tears are filled with depth. Her words carry wisdom. Her presence holds space. But she can also do a total 180 and joyfully act like a kid, which shows you she is real. Oh…and I almost forgot to mention, she is smart. Crazy smart. She knows people and she knows business, giving her the character of a loving shark.

But what makes this amazingly beautiful, almost perfect individual not quite complete is that she cannot fully see herself. When she looks into a mirror, she only sees her exterior and quickly picks away at it. When she connects with another and falls deeply in love, she takes no credit. When she walks away from a life altering experience, she struggles to pause and take ownership of the fact that she herself was a part of the creation.  She fails in the way that so many of us fail: to truly see and accept the beauty and gifts we all have within.

One day—and I feel that day is coming soon—she will see herself completely. She will accept that all the pieces of her are one whole, so that she doesn’t have to live divided, leading her to easily fall apart.

One day, I will see all of this and know that there is no need to search outside myself, because she has always been here inside of me.

Relephant:

Healing from the Inside Out: A Practice in Self-Love.~

It starts with Maitri:

~
Author: Cara Chandler

Editor: Travis May

Image: Trent Hancock (used with permission)