-- susan sarandon
every year, every season, we grow. we grow in different ways depending upon our priorities. each realization or experience brings us to a new crossroads; whichever direction we move shines a light on how we are becoming. now let me tell you a secret: you can't plan this type of travel. decisions and life lessons have their own timeline because every factor involved has an emotional asterisk attached to it. nothing in the hands of even a structured timeline happens without a little bit of an input from the heart. think about any time you've felt like a failure; does anybody actually plan on coming short? I don't think so. I still don't even think outright failing is a failure. to me, failure begins where focus ends. why do we get so attached to shortcomings? our heart matters, yes. we should nurture it, yes. but there is a level of selfishness that walks into our minds once we start prioritizing our hearts...sometimes so much that we stop prioritizing others over our own. and we only do this to be safe inside our heads, and nobody can be blamed for wanting that.
sometimes, we just have to let go of our hearts. sometimes we have to remember our heart can only change as much as we can, and for most people the change isn't so much. when we let go of our hearts, our head takes over control. we begin to think more rationally and less emotionally, while making logical decisions to build a safety raft for the dormant heart inside. it's all too cyclical in this day and age. we don't move on, we don't forgive, and we definitely don't forget. our pride wants us to shape into who we should be in the eyes of others; when honestly nobody really is watching. everyone is working on their safety raft, preparing for different journeys at different crossroads at any given time.
once we begin to allow our hearts to work with our heads do we see the miraculous results of our growth. people can do amazing things for others as long as best interests are kept at heart. everything else should be wiped off the table because safety rafts can't handle the wear and tear of stabs from the past. nobody can avoid stabs down the road, but anybody can move past them with the acceptance that they are just tests to see how bright that light can be. and the only way to even see at all is to move on, and move forward. the harder it is to move forward, the stronger your head needs to be for your heart. it's a guarantee for lifelong satisfaction.
