naked

in terms of goal setting, we are told to dream big. what’s next? what’s the mountain? what’s second base?

and first, it’s smart to understand what keeps you from stepping to your goals, engaging your dreams. what keeps you where you are?
call it self-awareness, personal inventory, blind-spot identification, it can take many forms, and ultimately, if the status quo is not addressed, the ‘next’ won’t happen. our current results are the product of our current systems.

in the garden, adam and eve clothed themselves out of shame…and i feel like as humans we’ve been clothing ourselves ever since. the emotionally healthy spirituality and self-awareness journey is when we pull off layer by layer all the clothes we’ve accumulated, shame stories we’ve told, and narratives that no longer serve.

imagine you put on all the clothes you own - wearing 5 pairs of jeans, all the shirts, sweaters, puffy jackets, and socks you've ever bought. it would be pretty hard to move. it would be heavy. it seems ridiculous to put on more clothes without taking others off.
and yet…

in the past several years of doing the internal emotional and spiritual work, it felt like taking off all the layers i have accumulated from decades of life - this or that happened, this person said that, this is the story i’ve written - all the clothes that no longer serve me, the clothes that don’t fit the season, the clothes that don’t fit my current body.

so now there is a new-found lightness. like wow - i can see myself for who i am underneath all those clothes. and i’m more nimble and swift than i ever though i could be.
so where am i headed?

it’s now when i need second base to be clear, what mountain am i designed to climb, what next endeavor to conquer, giant to slay….sign me up - because i’m more ready than ever to take off!

and yet, it’s more unclear. the new-found freedom and open-handedness is actually unsettling. the nakedness is vulnerable. the gust of wind is actually a little chilly. and ya know, that old sweater was kinda warm…
my instinct is still to cover my nakedness and grab for the appealing fruit, the next - surely i know what’s good and bad in this instance.

i think what i’m finding though, if i’m brave enough to embrace the nakedness, the real blessing is given, true beauty exposed, and true purpose rest.