For some historical perspective, I am writing this in September 2020, early in the morning after the news broke last night that Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg had passed away due to pancreatic cancer. The news comes at a time when the United States has marked the tragedy of nearly 200,000 deaths due to the coronavirus, and great unrest is taking place throughout the country.

There will be times when life is not okay. When you will be sick, upset, worried, and the world doesn’t seem right. In those moments, you will be tempted to take a shortcut, or to lash out and get your way, or will fall into repeating the dysfunctional behaviors that you grew up with. It will be a dark time.

I did some research on Ruth Bader Ginsburg and came across this quote from her: “Read change, enduring change, happens one step at a time.”

When life looks dark and you feel beaten down, that’s not the quote you’re going to want to read. But it’s the advice that we need to hear.

There are no magical wands or pills or devices that will “cure us” of all our problems. Our options are pretty straightforward. The change that I truly want in my life takes place incrementally over time.

When I look back at who I was five years ago, I’m amazed at how much I’ve learned and grown.

The road forward is filled with adventure, excitement, fun, learning, and most of all—love.

When we are in a dark time and all seems lost, it is so difficult to look beyond that.

My grandfather used to tell me stories about the Great Depression and how he and his family struggled to get by. Those of us going through the coronavirus pandemic will tell our children’s children the stories of masks, social distancing, stockpiling toilet paper, and we will also tell the stories of the little acts of kindness that we did each other. For our neighbors, our community, and ourselves.

The 15-minutes of daily meditation that we do each day is a small step forward. The journal writing that we do, the appointment with a therapist, and our following the Twelve steps each and every day.

When we stand up above the trees and look out at the great expanse of our lives, we will see more than we thought possible.

Take a leap of faith today and invest in yourself.

Not all is dark, not all is lost.

You are a light that is so needed in the world today.

Can you see that?

Like what you’ve read? Be sure to check out my other posts in my Let Go and Be Free blog.