Byrd with the Word

June. The first month of summer. Unless you’re from Texas. Then of course it feels like summer starts in May. Summer is the season of growth. It is the season when you are supposed to nourish your mind, your body, your soul. You are supposed to take risks. Jump when others keep both feet planted on the ground. Take this season to really live your life to the fullest. One day I will talk about winter, one day I will talk about spring. Right now, I want to talk about summer.

This year has been challenging for a lot of us. What I realized (and what I am most proud of) is that in the wake of a challenge you have the best opportunity to really start living life to the fullest. To push yourself past what you thought were your boundaries. I mean honestly, what is the worst that can happen? Oh, I jumped off this cliff and ended up on the ground with my nose bloody and my eyes black & blue? At least I jumped! Before I jumped I was still face down with a bloody nose & bruised eyes, the difference is I was on top of the cliff. I was still where I started. What fun is that?

June for me was an adventure.

I jumped off the cliff.

I think jumping off the cliff is a lot like manifestation. You can’t just write something down, say it out loud, say you manifested it and then expect it to come true. You have to work your butt off. Yes, write it down. Say it out loud. Put it out there, keep it in front of your face but then work for it. That’s the same way with the cliff. If I jump off the cliff and let gravity take over I’m going to get hurt. The fall will not be fun, it will be painful. However, if I jump and then flutter my arms, kick my legs, and reach for what is around me, I probably won’t hit the ground as hard. I might still hit the ground, there might be a bruise, and it might hurt just a little, but not near as bad. It will be exhilarating. People on the cliff will be watching you with envy in their eyes. They will be proud of you and most of all you will be proud of yourself.

That jump for me was leaving all of my people behind. Moving 1600 miles away with just my car and my dog. I was scared as hell. But geez was I excited. I learned so much about myself in that month. I spent the majority of the month alone. When I was alone I wasn’t sad. Instead, I took that alone time and I nourished myself. I brought myself back to life a little more every day. I worked hard, I spent so much time with Mosby outside, I found a coffee stand I loved, I made new friends, I reconnected with who I am and I had honest conversations about who I want to be.

I hope that you use the season of summer to jump off the cliff. You should believe in yourself and you should push the boundaries that you placed on yourself. It is okay to be scared. We can all do scary things. I find myself constantly saying “I can do anything for 30 days” and I believe it when I say that. I used the month of June to push my boundaries, to jump from the highest cliff I could climb. Now that it’s July you truly can’t tell me anything. I believe in myself enough that I do not need validation from a single soul. We all deserve to believe in ourselves. We all deserve to be proud of who we are and the things we have accomplished. We all deserve to live the life we want to and do the things we see on social media that make us excited.

If you see someone doing the things that you want to do take that as inspiration and run with it. It is 2023, we can do whatever the heck we want. I hope you know that. I hope you do the things. Let me cheer you on.

Stay tuned to hear all about my season of healing. I sure do love summer.

xxKaileyxx