05/19/2026
Deep in reflection early this morning, feeling the soft wind against my face, I’ve come to realize that expansion into greater awareness often arrives through the very experiences that feel the heaviest to carry.
The lessons that carry the greatest gifts do not always come gently. Sometimes they come in hard, so hard they throw us off completely. Yet I’ve learned, as difficult as it can be, these moments offer us an opportunity to move through something deep. These experiences are often connected to parts of ourselves that still need attention… old wounds, fears, emotional patterns, or ways of thinking that quietly shape how we move through life.
If we trust and surrender to the experience, something within us begins to transform. And often, the wisdom we gain becomes part of what guides not only our own lives, but the way we support and understand others as well.
Recently, I spent a night in the hospital experiencing severe pain throughout the right side of my stomach, side, and back. After medical testing, no clear answers were found. I returned home with pain medication and the suggestion to come back if things worsened. I’ve never experienced pain like that before - possibly right up there with childbirth.
After a sleepless night, a rash appeared the following morning while the pain continued at an intense level. The ER doctor called early that day, and after explaining the rash, it was determined that I was experiencing a shingles outbreak.
It has now been two weeks. The shingles are healing well, and the markings are beginning to fade.
As I continue living with what I now understand to be nerve pain, this experience has invited me to consider how deeply the body can speak when something within us has been pushed aside for too long and is asking to be felt, understood, or released.
Even though I found myself moving through some heavier emotions, I kept turning my attention toward the beautiful things in my life so I wouldn’t lose myself in them completely.
For eight days, everything went on hold. Life slowed right down, and so did I. Barely moving gave me the space to begin appreciating life on a much deeper level.
I’m emerging from this experience with greater empathy for those living with intense pain, and with a deeper understanding of what truly matters to me… a slower pace, meaningful supportive connection, time with nature, and relationships that feel real and nourishing.
While I’m not fully on the other side of the pain yet, I’m holding onto the hope that, with time, my body will continue finding its way back to balance.
As difficult as this experience has been, I choose to accept the gifts it brought with it. Today, it serves as a reminder to always look a little deeper at why certain things show up in our lives.
I’ve realized we are constantly being invited into greater awareness through our experiences. And I truly believe as we each do this deeper inner work, it ripples outward, shaping something greater within humanity and the way we live here on this earth. ✨