I would often run to the swings when brought to the playground as a child. I could swing on the set for hours, if allowed. You’d find me closing my eyes, more often than not, while lifting my legs up for more air height and back down again to enjoy the glide. The peace felt within was grander than I could ever fully express to you. While my eyes were tightly closed shut, I would always envision myself catching the stars, and it’s with this frequent thought that would bring forth laugher, a smile, and would allow myself to maintain my swing set skills momentum. As an adult, you’d find me doing just the same; take me to a park, and I am running to the swing set.

Disappointments in life are common ground. They’re those learning curves and re-evaluating moments we’d love to ignore, wish never took place, but yet they happen, and then they happen some more. After some time, it’s easy to lose the peace, the dreamer within, and the carefreeness we once possessed. We stop believing we can reach for those stars. Instead, we become adaptive and allow ourselves to just go with the flow with whatever life delivers, and we just accept. We don’t challenge; we just undertake what is given.

We exert energy in partnerships that don’t fully serve us to avoid being single or to be perceived as a failure. We continue with careers that leave us feeling over skilled, unfulfilled, and underpaid just to have employment. We stay in cities for others versus for ourselves. We maintain friendships out of obligation. Yes, we no longer reach for the stars. In fact, if we’re honest with ourselves, most of us walk under the sky and never give ourselves a chance to look back up and appreciate those twinkles anymore. We get so caught up in the repetitiveness of our day-to-day that we lose our own shine. We become lost. We become confused. We become frustrated. We lose our giddiness. We lose our voice. We lose our ability to look upwards, and instead have our faces planted to the ground. Yet, we keep all of this inside to not look like complainers nor ungrateful. But is putting yourself on mute the way to go? Is settling the way to proceed? Is it worthwhile to not ruffle anyone’s feathers just to suffocate from within?

Those stars in the sky are meant to be reached. They are there every night to remind us that there’s more height in our lives to rise towards. What is no longer serving us, needs to be swapped out and replaced with what does. That includes personal boundaries, relationships, cities, and careers. The way we glide with joy on a swing, is the way we should be gliding in life. Therefore, we shouldn’t be haphazardly dragging our feet. How is that catching the air or taking your breath away? It doesn’t, nor can it. And that is why we must pick up our feet, swing into action, and keep on reaching. Keep those dreams alive with a steady upward momentum. Take those beginning steps before lifting off the ground because it’s that movement that will lead to your flight.

The speed of your shifts might not be fully cohesive with your timeline, but just as you keep that consistent, pendulum motion on a swing to get more speed, do the same in your personal life; make your actions matter. Let them be the cause of your movements, and in the midst of it all, remind yourself: the same way you give yourself grace and patience on a swing before you get some height, is the same grace and patience you need to give to your life. Regain your carefreeness and control what you can, while releasing what you cannot. Allow yourself to metaphorically soar again, while looking upwards and forwards versus downwards and backwards. And in those times of doubt, distress, and uncertainty, take a glimpse of the sky and watch nature’s wink through its twinkle. Then in return smile, wink back, and refocus on soaring; You’ve got this. We’ve got this. And if you’re afraid that you don’t have a handle on whatever ‘this’ is, just catch me at the swing set, and I’ll glide beside you as I remind you…