for one. for all.

"Actually, Tricia , if you understood the extraordinary gifts every single challenge in your life makes possible, even inevitable, you'd celebrate your challenges, new and old alike, as the omens that they are of new beginnings, spectacular change, and enhanced superpowers....

Perfect for where you are, huh?"
-TUT

---

Tomorrow I leave for an exotic vacation/retreat in beautiful Costa Rica...

...by myself.

Whoa.

For some, perhaps a trip for 1 to a yoga, surfing, self-loving beach retreat is a bit on the self indulgent side. Trust me--I have had my moments thinking the same thing. But I have also been sending gratitude out every moment of every day since I booked this retreat for my ability to afford it, my ability to take the time off for it (thank you, Weebly!), the challenges that have sparked the desire for such a trip in the first place and for the freedom to embrace this new beginning. I am humbled, thankful and beyond-butterflies-in-my-tummy excited.

Look, here's what I like to tell my friends--People will come and go from your life. You'll change jobs, you'll change relationships, you'll change partnerships, you'll move, you'll grow and quite frankly every living thing on this planet dies eventually. No living soul has permanence here. But the one person you are stuck with...day in and day out, sun up to sun down...until your very last breath, whether you like it or not, is yourself.  You might as well be your own friend, you know? You might as well learn to love yourself unconditionally.

So if you've ever stopped yourself from filling up your insides with ooey gooey, mushy gushy love from the succulence that is you because your ego voice (and possibly the voices of others who have yet to accept this key truth to life), let me remind you of something:

It starts here (imagine me with my hands over my heart)...

...But, by no stretch of the imagination, does it stop here.

When you allow yourself the time and space to get right in your soul--when you give yourself permission to call yourself friend, to send yourself love on a daily basis, to practice forgiveness and patience with the one person you.are.literally.stuck.with your whole life--you shift (for the better!) every connection around you as well. You will brighten another persons day. You will strive for greatness, in whatever way that is meaningful to you. You will be kinder. You will be a better friend, lover, sister, employee.

And perhaps most importantly, you will inevitably encourage others to be their own friend, too--to value their worth, shed their labels and doubts and simply help them live more authentically.

You will encourage them to shine and share their light.

You will encourage them to stop just existing and really start living.

So tell me, please, what's so self indulgent about that?

For one. For all.

In Gratitude,

Trish