I’m always Even Stephen (your inclination might be to spell Stephen with a V here but I must pay appropriate homage to my uncle/best friend/birthday buddy and remain PH balanced). There’s something magical in balance of things. Maybe it’s because I was raised by a Libra; my mother is the one always making sure everyone else is happy and their needs are met. When you ask her where she wants to go to dinner on her birthday, she’ll invariably say, “Wherever you want to go.” It’s not that she doesn’t care for herself—she just likes harmony and draws on her roots as the oldest of four children when she lets others make the decisions. It’s not indecisiveness nor is it laziness—it’s preservation of peace and balance. But enough about her.
We all joked and prayed that 2017 would bring us out of the hardships of 2016 (and yes, I know that a slew of celebrities dying isn’t quite a hardship compared to some of the actual tough stuff that this human experience can bring but ssshhhhh, I’m writing here). 2017 was like 2016+… or +++ for some people. But, to paraphrase Mama Ru, a butterfly doesn’t know what’s happening in that cocoon. Just a happy little caterpillar spins this intense cocoon and the metamorphosis is violent! Then, out flaps this gorgeous creature that we marvel at… heck, I have 4 butterflies tattooed on me. So here’s to hoping that 2016 and 2017 were our cocoon years and we bust out with pretty wings, using our feet to taste in 2018.
Whenever the transition is complete, we can’t forget the tough stuff. That’s the necessity in the balance. We are all energy, sitting or standing or lying on energy, holding energy, surrounded by energy. That energy changes form and function but it doesn’t go away. It finds its balance. So if you’re feeling lonely, empty, too full, pulled in too many directions or even directionless, sit, breathe and allow the balance to rush in. Surrender to the energy. Do the next right thing without grabbing for 5 steps in the future or being tethered to a perceived misstep in the past. It may take longer than you want or expect and it will often take a different form that you want or expect, but the balance will come. Allow the peace to fill your heart, your soul and your space today as we transition into another glorious year. Much love.