Immersion

Slowly and gradually you notice your hands begin to open.  You no longer clench them tightly around memories and dreams but begin to accept the reality of who and where you are.  Sometimes the pain is so crushing that it becomes physically hard to breathe, but in those moments you remind myself "I am here.  I am alive, and this is all part of it."  Change brings with it all kinds of challenges and obstacles, but every one is slowly and deliberately faced and accepted.  They are all steps; small, important steps along the way.  Life has a way of pulling you forward, and you simply need to accept the flow.  People begin to appear and speak into your life, and moments become sacred.  In the process, you begin to really learn who you are.  Emptying does that.  Letting things go leaves only the essence of your being.  The true self begins to emerge.  And it begins to feel safe like you're finally coming home.  It's a good place, not free of sadness, but peace within the solitude within the sadness.  There's a strength in it.  A solid ground.  A foundation.  You begin to hear your voice.  Your heart begins to establish defined boundaries, not out of the pain, but out of authenticity.  This body, this mind, this heart, is who you are.  All you have is the moment, and you immerse yourself in it.  There is beginning to be some form of purpose and clarity in it.  And that is enough.