The Courage of Feeling
Hi my friend,
Sometimes I feel like
I keep walking in circles…
I keep stumbling
on the same little pebbles,
and every time I do
I think…
Shouldn't I have learned this?
Shouldn't there be a few less pebbles
on my path by now?
All last week, I was feeling
so joyous and inspired.
But today, as I'm writing to you -
I somehow feel sad.
And there's that little voice
that worries…
If every week
I'm writing about things
that don't feel light,
that you'll judge me,
my friend.
That you'll think I'm
struggling.
That you'll wonder -
What kind of guide is she
if she can't maintain
a happy life?
But the truth is - I am happy.
Even when I'm sad.
I'm happy with the life I've built.
I'm happy with the people
around me.
I'm happy with
who I am.
And still…
Sometimes I feel sad.
I think sadness is one of the most
honest feelings I have.
And it doesn't ask for much -
just sit with me,
just slow down for a little while,
just stay and be my friend.
It invites me to check in with myself.
To have the courage to look inward
and feel what's really going on.
And when I do…
I can see that
this feeling is not a pebble
I'm stumbling on.
It's a sun-warmed rock
waiting for me to rest.
A moment to meet the parts
of myself I don't often think of -
the ones that feel unseen.
Sometimes when we feel sad,
there's a fear that others
will see us as weak.
But the truth is -
it takes so much strength
to feel sadness…
To sit with it.
To listen to things
you'd rather not hear.
To stay in the discomfort
instead of distracting
or pretending you're fine.
To feel sad and to stay present
with this feeling…
that's not a weakness.
That's bravery in
action.
It means you trust
yourself enough to feel.
It means some part of you knows:
I can handle this.
Even if it's tender.
Even if it's hard.
Even if you'd rather feel
anything else.
Because underneath the ache,
there's often something tender and true
trying to come into the light.
And maybe, just maybe,
the longer we stay with ourselves,
the more clearly we can see -
that sadness isn't holding us back.
It's part of the path.
So when it feels like
you're walking in circles…
stumbling on the same old pebbles,
feeling the same sadness rise -
remember, it's not actually
a circle.
It's a deepening,
my friend
With love,
Elina
