Dear Cowgirl...

Here are a few things (I have found!) that make life better when you start implementing them…

Dance: 

Dance when no one’s watching and dance in the aisles at the grocery store. Life is short, move your body. Grab a partner, shimmy while you’re feeding ponies and do a morning happy dance. Watch the rest of the day only go up from there. 

Cry: 

Let it out. You’re not overreacting and it’s healthy. Let it all out darling. Then dry your eyes. There are dreams to chase.

Be sillier: 

I found myself taking everything too seriously for a while. I allowed the seriousness of my surroundings and heavy topics I was researching to impact the “goofy” factor. Finding that again has felt like a gift from God. Don’t let yourself get too seriously darling. Life is short. Let go.

Relax:

Along with the silliness, I realized I struggled for a long time to rest in the CALM. To breathe. To sit down, read a book in peace and allow my body to zen-out and not think about what is next on some to-do list. Rest isn’t something you earn. It’s just something your body and brain need and require to live a healthy life, like water and sunlight! 

Call first: 

I learned the hard way…sometimes it doesn’t pay to “play it cool.” Actually, scratch that. I no longer believe in playing anything cool. Full on silliness or nothing at all. Say what you want, be bold and daring and goofy and brazen. Express your feelings and share your hopes, dreams and fears with the people you care about. One day it could be too late, and sometimes it is impossible to get back what was once lost. I promise being the first one to call will never be “wrong” with the right people. Pick up the phone. 

Always say "yes":

There have been a few moments in my life where I’ve gotten a phone call asking for a yes or no. Saying “yes” has always been the right answer, even when it made my tummy tickle or I didn’t feel “ready” yet. Not because it always ended how I expected, but because I had no idea how God would use threads to create a tapestry I never knew He was weaving. 

Be yourself unapologetically (even as who and what that is changes!): 

What an easy thing to say, right? Just be yourself. Sometimes it’s not that simple. Sometimes, it takes learning who that person is along the way. Allowing yourself to become. To change and shift. Yes it can sometimes make those around you uncomfortable. They might even tell you how they prefer the “old” version of you and why. That’s okay. They get to live their story, as do you. Let them concern themselves with their own worries, and focus on becoming what God has in store for you. What a gift to be able to  change. What a gift to not become stagnant. To grow. To morph.

To BECOME.  

Try a few…let me know how it goes ;) 

xoxo 

AB