When I first got to Barcelona, Vishen Lakhiani of Mindvalley welcomed us, asking us, “What do you stand for?” I’ve been pondering that question all month as I battled fatigue, illness, emotional overwhelm, and a kind of blown-open soul growth that this experience absolutely required.

Now that I am back, still sick, knocked out by the stomach flu and a skin infection, I am still thinking long and hard on how to answer his question.

This experience will likely take a while for me to unpack.

I am a bit at sea right now.

I know I cannot go with the crowd; I cannot support the status quo; I cannot remain blind to the suffering I see. I cannot endure another moment with anyone who judges me for the way I am. I am weary of being sensitive but realize that sensitivity makes me who I am. And I am totally OK with being this woman in this body at this particular time in history. In fact, I am proud of her. Proud of her resilience and toughness and tenderness and raw voice.

What do I stand for?

I stand for women and babies and artists and creatives being valued for the contributions we make to life on earth.

I am for this beautiful planet and all its creatures, great and small.

I am for the voiceless and the shutdown and the shut out members of our society.

I am for the restless spirit of change.

I am for building a better world, a world that is equitable and gracious and fair and cooperative.

In Barcelona, I saw that world.

It wasn’t perfect. It was perfectly imperfect, but I saw what the world can be if we approach life with our hearts wide open.

Total strangers embraced me and told me they saw me [as my spirit, not as my body] and that I was beautiful. They whispered love to me that has settled into the marrow of my bones.

I will never be the same.

How can I be? Everything has changed.

Everything.

Everyone has a book inside of them. Everyone has a story. Wouldn’t you love to share yours with the world? Get your free writer’s toolkit, packed with tricks and tips to get you started. Just do it. Don’t wait. Don’t die with an untold story inside you.

© 2017  Shavawn M. Berry All rights reserved

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