18/11/2025
Acceptance 🩷
This has been and continues to be something I'm working on. In fact I think it's something we all do, all our lives, although perhaps on a small scale daily, which can feel more manageable. Change is a natural and normal part of life's journey, no matter how much we may wish for some moments to last forever.
When something huge rocks our world, whatever that may be, one thing is for sure...we never come out of this the same. Our nervous systems respond with fight, flight, freeze, fawn.... perhaps even some dissociation or shut down, if things are too overwhelming or painful. Recovery from these things takes time, compassion, love and feeling safe 🩷
For me, a deeper appreciation of life sang from the depths of my darkness, once I could see past the suffering for long enough. But the grief I felt for a long time, for the woman I was before, had overcome me so many times that I couldn't help but cry. And that's ok 🩷 honouring that part of me, that part who felt vibrant and strong and who had showed up in the world and her relationships how she wanted to, with love and purpose for her work here. To cry the tears for her, to stamp my feet and scream "it's not fair!" Validated that hurt, that emotion that needed to be felt and heard to be released. And with that validation, I could begin to accept what is now....who she is now.....and be so incredibly proud of her 🩷
Acceptance for me, happens over and over again. It is not a one time thing, those parts of me who need love and validation will still come up here and there. And each time, I will continue to validate and then try to bring as much Acceptance in as I can allow. This unlocks the possibility to look forward, which I cannot do if I'm looking back 🙏 adding in a daily practice of gratitude and appreciation for the beautiful community I feel so blessed to know, feels like the magic ingredient ✨️
Allowing grief and gratitude to co-exist, both as valid and able to be held equally, validating all parts and focusing on immense gratitude is how I'm navigating the road ahead.
As ever, always grateful to share our journeys together 🩷
With much love, Chantal ###x