Tuesday, June 06, 2017

Tribe Life Tuesday: The Ride of my Life

A weekly post from my childhood to grown-up friend Carrie ~ 
sharing her awesome life and her desire to have community while doing it!


Happy Tribelife Tuesday! I am pumped to be with you today! But, before we start, let’s set the tone. If you can, find a quiet place and a comfy chair. Maybe turn on your favorite instrumental song or your favorite movie score. Create a relaxing atmosphere and get ready to dive deep! 

Now that we’re all ready, let’s begin! 

So many of my days bring with them emotional conflicts. It’s quite like being on a roller coaster — up and down, sharp right turn, slow incline, crashing fall and just like that, the ride is over, only I don’t get off. Instead, I stay strapped in and brace myself for another go around the track. Have you ever experienced this emotional roller coaster ride before? This ride that I often feel trapped on gives me much compassion for those who struggle with their mental health. And to be honest, we all fight this battle to some extent. The denial of such a truth could lead us astray, and it’s the tribe that helps us not go down that path.

I certainly have enough information to help me get off the roller coaster, but information alone is not sufficient. Information, action, and accountability are what help me. When a storm rolls in, while I’m still on the roller coaster, rain pelting me, lightning all around, with thunder that roars so deeply my whole body shakes - that’s when I see whether information has crossed over into transformation. 

But today, I don’t want to invite you onto this emotional roller coaster, but into my heart, my humanity, my many attempts and failures at being my best self. 

Every day I seek to live out loving others well. Danny Silk, one of my favorite authors, wrote the book Keep Your Love On, which I reference constantly. In it he says: 

“The choice to pursue the goal of connection will bring you right up against the real conflict that lies at the core of every relationship. It is a spiritual battle — a heart battle — drawn between the two most powerful forces that drive us: fear and love. ”

For me, the roller coaster always begins when there is relational unrest. When I choose to operate out of fear, I am strapping myself in for another ride around the track. Or, when I’m so focused on seeing justice served that I forget to love, I am bracing myself for the ups and downs of the emotional roller coaster that will inevitably follow. Learning to love people right where they are, mess and all, is one of the hardest lessons I continue to learn. 

I want my driving force to be love, I want respond out of love even when fear is the loudest voice screaming at me. Choosing to pursue connection, choosing to love when it’s unjust or unfair makes you a powerful person. You see, as Silk writes:  “without choice, we don’t have freedom, and more importantly, we don’t have love, which requires freedom."

I hope, when I’m faced with the choice between fear and love, that I’ll choose love. And the next time the roller coaster comes to a stop, I hope my anxiety tank is empty and my peace tank is full so I can quickly and gracefully exit the ride.

Over the next week, you may have an opportunity to extend love like you never have before. When fear tries to take away your choice, be brave, amazing one, and exude love! 

Thank you so much for chatting with me.

See you next Tuesday,

Carrie
*Please note that content in guest blogs is not necessarily shared by the station manager (i.e. Wendi!)

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