I Am

In that space between what rises within you like a white-capped crest of confusion,

flotsam & jetsam of 
old habits and tired stories
shouldn'ts and don'ts
fears and anxieties
rejections and losses
punishments and judgements
practiced answers and painful silences,

and

a moment that invites your participation,

allow your breath to expand the spacetime around you, within you.

Find more room.

Linger longer in your discomfort until the swell settles and the waters calm.

Ask for another moment, untimed, unbounded.

Stand at the precipice of that chasm you ache to close quickly and sharply the same way you have closed it ten thousand times.

Just this once, look out across the void.
Do not be afraid...
or do be afraid, and hold your gaze anyway.
You are about to claim your magic.

• • •

Say, with conviction, "I AM": the spell that will part the sea of shame distancing you from your inner truth...

Step into the wet sands of self-exploration, perhaps unfamiliar footing, with trust that the drowning waters will hold as you look inward...

Walk in the cadence of a mantra: "I am real; I am holy; I am sacred; I am enough" (just as I AM)...

Listen curiously to what you feel, what you wonder, what you fear, what you love, what you need - and, like shells scooped from your feet, sift through to keep the ones that are treasures and toss the ones that are jagged blades...

See in the distance a welcoming shore, organic and verdant: the edge of your soul, lush and patient, hospitable and waiting...

Land on firm stones and soft soil, the roots and fruits of your wild, free Being:

a sure foundation for your thought, speech, and action,

a home that shelters you and hosts myriad guests of Thought and Emotion with grace, discernment, and reverence,

a place to explore each new day of your life.

• • •

Open your eyes to this moment again.

You are held by yourself.

Speak. Move. Be.

Let it go.

Give thanks.

Embark on the next, new moment.