I honestly do not know how to start this one, so this is how I will start. If you are looking for a gripping, catchy introduction, you will not find that here today. As the summer winds down, I feel the slight twinge of the blues (and not the good, jazzy kind). Don’t get me wrong, I love the fall, but this summer was special for me and I am finding it difficult to say farewell. This summer I dug deep, y’all. Coming into summer, I was feeling depleted and down-right lost. So, thus began the summer of Olivia. I used this summer to catapult myself back into my own orbit. I needed to look back into my own heart again and really get to know and love what is in there.
Nothing in my life is shallow and for that, I am grateful. Authenticity is the bold fabric I clothe myself in and I don’t wear my heart on my sleeve, I wear no sleeves with my heart tattooed on my right deltoid, proudly displayed with an arrow through it stating “yours”. Sensitivity can get a bad rap, but that is only because some people are afraid to go there. When we go to the places we do not want to go and do what scares us, this is when we learn, grow, heal, and get better. And as the great Maya Angelou said, “When you know better, you do better”. Sensitivity and compassion have always been how I connected with the world and other people. And what I realized about this is, it works. It is the gift of a lifetime to truly connect with people and get to know all that is around you. This summer, I jumped back into things I had put on the back burner. I enjoyed the sunshine and going to the lake. I spent time with my friends and family. The gym is now a safe place for me and I like to go. I picked up my tennis racket again (rusty does not even begin to cover it, but I had fun playing doubles with my Dad and it sure made me appreciate my collegiate career a lot more). Zumba, yoga, and singing are both back in my life and here to stay! It feels good to sing, dance, and practice. I have been doing the things that make me happy and heart full. This summer has truly been the breath of fresh air I needed. While in one of my Bodyflow classes (yoga and strength class), while breathing and posing, a conversation I had with a student popped into my head. We talked about thinking differently and how this student felt like they were not understood by other kids. This student is very bright, creative, inquisitive, and has some deeply profound thoughts for a 10-year-old. We discussed more about how we need people to think outside of the box so new things can be invented and different problems can be solved. The world is full of different people who have different life experiences! We have got to get creative here to help each other! Just then, this student said one of the most beautiful things I have ever heard someone say. They said, “Miss Wetzel, do you know what a box cutter is”? I replied “Yes, I do”. The student continued saying “Well, maybe I am like a box cutter. I can help people cut out of their boxes and maybe see things differently”. This statement from a 10-year-old absolutely took my breath away. I realized in that moment staying “in the box” is what separates us, closes us off from the world and keeps us from doing great things. Fast forward back to being in my Bodyflow class, in the middle of yoga back-bend, sweating from the own heat my body was creating, I thought about this conversation I had with this student and thought about how many times I have placed myself or how others have placed me in the box. This box’s cardboard walls are made up of expectation, stereotypes, misconceptions, and shame. I thought about how harsh I have been on myself throughout the year. I have shamed myself for some pretty silly reasons like I am still single and I am embarrassed I still drive a crappy car. As a school counselor, I help people get out of the box all the time, so why can’t I get out of my own sometimes? This summer I got the box cutter back out and, I have surrounded myself with people who are box cutters, who are honest, compassionate, and supportive. Moving into fall, and carrying the powerful advice of a 10-year-old, here is staying out of the box. And if it so happens, one finds themselves back in the box, it is time to find our box-cutting spirit again and reach out to the special people in our lives who help us cut down those fake walls. It will always be time to cut past that cheap layer of cardboard and open back up joy and what makes you who you are. Who are you? Certainly, someone too beautiful and original to be contained in box.
1 Comment
Patti
8/19/2017 10:09:33 am
I felt like I was reading some brilliant professional motivational speakers work, but then again I was! Rock on Liv! Really proud of you & all your insight. Mom
Reply
Your comment will be posted after it is approved.
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorMy name is Olivia. I am woman, daughter, sister, friend, and counselor. I just want to put love in the world. Archives
October 2018
Categories |