DO THE THING

Here's me running ridges a few minutes after a cloud burst and about thirty minutes before I slid down the side of the mountain that had turned to mud. It was my first time trail running in Hawaii and it showed in my lack of situational awareness.

To be honest, I'd been chronically procrastinating making this run. And when I came out covered in mud with a couple chunks out of my hands and feet and some thick bruises down my glutes, at first I thought "see, I was right. I should have stayed home."

But, back home and washing the mud off, I knew that was the wrong takeaway.

Doing something for the first time is always messy. Always. And it usually stings a little. And I've slowly come to love that.

I love the mess because the mess is real. It's not a fantasy world in my head. It's happening. It has momentum. It creates connection. It produces feedback. Even when that feedback stings or lays me low for a day or two, I have to love it because it's honest.

Our mind will never tell us the truth. Our friends usually won't either. It's not until we take action in the world that we figure out where we're really at and we have an opportunity to course correct.

Reality is bigger and messier than any of us can wrap our tiny little minds around. When it really hits you in the face, and you're willing to take it in and not escape into your mind, it forces you to dig deep. And that's why I love it.

In resilience,
Caitlin