Regardless of what phase of life you are in, feeling held back, restricted, trapped, or limited in any way is bound to show up: that's the nature of things!

There will always be trade offs, things we miss, things we "can't" get to or things we choose to do instead.

There might be moments of regret, deep sadness, guilt, shame, nostalgia, longing, anger, & confusion when what we think we want or should have to feel safe seems out of reach. This could be a certain level of health or bodily function, an imagined state of financial stability, an image of a dream house and a dream neighborhood with visualizations of a life that seems better than the one you currently have.

It could even be the longing for a certain relationship or the desire to have a family and a vivid image in mind of what you wish you had and feel you won't ever experience.

But maybe we don't have to get bogged down by any of those feelings or be seduced into states of over-emphasizing the idea of lack.

Maybe we have a choice of how we relate to things not going the way we hoped they would and maybe that choice actually feels empowering, stabilizing, and certain... Maybe we learn to celebrate what we do have and all of a sudden that becomes the most amazing place to put our attention.

What if we start to perceive any so-called restrictions or limitations as reminders of what we value and what we get to choose instead? What if roadblocks turn out to reveal something more beautiful than we've ever expected? What if moments of saying no actually turn into moments of saying yes to what is the more honest and generous option, for ourselves and those around us?

What if things aren't as we originally thought? What if what felt like a burden are actually more of a gift, waiting for us to see it as such? What if?