Renewal

Written in 2019

All I really need is courage.

The courage to jump into something new.

To try.

Maybe I'll succeed.

Maybe I won't.

But I'll never know unless I take the first step.

To me, that is what life is about.

Not standing still.

Growing.

Renewing.

Renewal isn't about replacing what already exists.

It's about expanding it.

Expanding what we know.

Expanding what we experience.

Expanding the people we meet.

Expanding the conversations we are willing to have.

Expanding the way we see,

the way we listen,

and the way we understand the world.

Every time I learn something new,

my life becomes a little bigger.

Every new experience stretches the boundaries of who I thought I was.

That is the kind of renewal I seek.

Not because what I have isn't enough,

but because life is always inviting me to become more.

I want to expand my awareness.

My ability to give.

My willingness to receive.

And my capacity to use what I have learned in meaningful ways.

When I grow,

my world grows with me.

Nothing has to be thrown away.

Not even a used tea bag.

I would rather press it onto a canvas...

and discover what it can become.

Perhaps that is renewal.

Not replacing life.

Seeing new possibilities in what is already here.