The Upside of Falling

I don't know about you, but lately I've felt like I'm falling. It's one of the main reasons I have been a bit MIA.

I won't get into all the details of what the last six months have been like for me; let’s just say they have been filled with incredible moments of joy and equally stormy times.

Through it all, I keep coming back to one of my favorite quotes by Tibetan Buddhist meditation master Chögyam Trungpa: “The bad news is you’re falling through the air, nothing to hang on to, no parachute. The good news is there’s no ground.”
 
I love these words. We may feel like we're plummeting through life, completely out of control—which, often, we are. Yet we can shift our vantage point and discover the freedom that comes along with falling. How incredible is it to let go, knowing we won’t ever hit ground.

This perspective has helped me time and time again. When I loosen my grip and free both hands, I reconnect to peace. To joy. To freedom.

See, control is tension. That's not freedom.

Lately, I've caught myself trying to control things I simply cannot control—and that's always a recipe for suffering. Harmony asks something different of us. It asks for profound trust. It asks us to embrace the fall.

I love all of this falling stuff so much that I've woven it into my world of writing. My newest book, The Upside of Falling: Connecting to the Art and Heart of Being a Writer, comes out this June, and I can't wait to share it with you. 

I am SO excited!
 
This book is a culmination of many ideas, practices, and stories gathered over years of working as a writing coach and developmental editor. It’s about freeing ourselves so we can write in the most authentic and enlivened way possible. It’s been a passion project, and I’m so grateful it's finally here.
 
For a while, I thought I had to abandon my passions (writing, editing, etc.), mainly for health reasons. Thankfully, I've discovered that by embracing the falls in my life, I've been able to move forward, more balanced and unencumbered. It's exhilarating.

It takes practice. Oh gosh, lots of it, and patience, too. But it's been worth it. 
 
So here I am, reaching out to all of you to say: don’t give up on your dreams, your passions, your life.

Tough stuff comes up. All the time. That is part of the fall. The more we try to hang on, gripping tightly, the harder it all becomes. But when we soften, when we allow ourselves to be present with what's happening, with curiosity, compassion, and a lightness of being, we begin to find the beauty there. Maybe even grace.
 
There is an upside to falling. I hope that you find yours.

And once you do, I hope you enjoy the fall.

With much love,