“We do not grow absolutely, chronologically. We grow sometimes in one dimension, and not in another; unevenly. We grow partially. We are relative. We are mature in one realm, childish in another. The past, present, and future mingle and pull us backward, forward, or fix us in the present. We are made up of layers, cells, constellations.” ― Anaïs Nin
How’s your straight line of growth going? Not so straight? GOOD! Because this is not how growth works. You are always growing, but sometimes sideways and zigzag and backwards and off to the side. When I was teaching elementary schools students, we used a spiral curriculum. That means that when I taught fractions, I also might introduce a game about multiplication, and then I would go back to an exercise on fractions when we dove into geometry. I hated it. I wanted to plow through one thing at a time. When we were done with fractions, I wanted to be DONE. However, teaching in a spiral meant that my kiddos could always be learning and growing. Our stories and lives are not linear. The conversations and projects we have are often teaching us lessons on multiple levels. Where are you growing right now? Where do you want to be growing? How are you integrating the lessons you are learning in one sector of life into another? Trust the growth patterns. Make space to integrate the lessons. Honor your layers. Trust the minutia of your cells. Open wide to your constellations.
To your glorious relativity,
JESS
These Soulful Sunday blogs go out weekly on Sundays to be used as a place to step back from the hustle and bustle and explore what your soul might be saying to you. Some folks use these as journal prompts and let loose amidst pages. Some folks bring them to the kitchen table and jam over coffee. Do you, boo.
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