Notice what good things happen in cycles…and let them be things worth looking forward to.
This can be valuable to remember because we live in a world where there are things that are more step-by-step and feel very defined.
Many things happen in ways that feel more like a linear series of steps. Just to name a few:
Baking a cake
Washing dishes
Traveling on a road
Building a piece of furniture
Navigating a traffic light
Writing a term paper
Going up or down an elevator
Moving through an assembly line
Daily life is filled with things that require a clear sequence of steps to complete.
However, not all of life is like that. And that’s okay…
While step-by-step processes are helpful for many things because they show a clear path from start to finish when it comes to so many other things in life, it can be a little less predictable: paths we take toward dreams and desires, moving through grief and all of its (often-intertwined) stages, understanding and finding connection in different relationships.
In a world of step-by-step, at times, it can be easy to feel as though nothing is happening if it’s not linear. You might feel as though you are going in circles, constantly going back to where you started. In that space, may you remember that there are many things that happen in cycles and going through these cycles is natural. Seasons. Lunar cycles. Water cycles. The cycle between day and night.
As you move through the different cycles of life, be kind to yourself. If something has ended up being a bit more of a winding, circular path than you expected, allow yourself to seek out space to feel, to talk it out, to rest, to write it out in a journal (even if you feel like you’re rambling!), and just be reminded that life doesn’t have time be sorted out into step by steps before you can breathe and move through the space you’re in at a mindful pace. Continue to notice the good things that happen in cycles––even if it’s something that feels small, like the cycle between day and night. Pay attention to these rhythms and embrace when, where, and how they apply to other areas of life. Sometimes, growth can spiral before it blooms.
– Morgan Harper Nichols
