You Don’t Have To Do It Alone
Next week I’ll be sharing something that I think is going to help you overcome any wintery blues that you may experience this December. Stay tuned for that!
For now, if you are someone who ever feels overwhelmed by all the things you have to do and feel like you are often doing it on your own, then this post is for you.
Feeling like you have to do everything yourself can be a heavy weight to carry and often drains us of the very energy we need to get through whatever challenge, transition or task we are trying to accomplish.
And as I shared recently in the post about my couch, during these tricky times it’s almost as if we try to paddle harder or push more. Unfortunately, this can really throw the whole process out of whack.
Today, I am going to help you to see things differently. I want you to see that you can let go a little and let Life lend a helping, supportive hand.
First, a sweet little story.
Last week, I had the glorious opportunity to spend 5 days in Mexico with some of my closest girlfriends. I couldn’t believe that we had gotten 8 girls to leave their busy lives and celebrate an exciting transition in my life: getting married.
Here are a few of the pics:)
On our last night a few of us went down to the water to soak in some final moments of the glorious sea.
While there, we happened to catch a security guard picking up tiny baby turtles.
We quickly learned that apparently once a year, a mama turtle hatches some eggs deep in the sand. The mama turtle goes back into the water to let her babies hatch on their own.
Once the babies hatch, they have to first crawl their way out of the sand.
THEN, they have to travel from where the mama buried the eggs all the way BACK to the water.
If they don’t get to the water, it is unlikely that they will live very long.
To give you some context, while it would be easy for us to walk from the hotel to the water, for them the distance is like crossing the United States. On foot. It’s no joke of a journey.
And these little babies have to do it all by themselves. At night. In the dark.
There is an extremely small amount of turtles that actually make it because either they can’t find their way or they get eaten by seagulls (which is why they go at night).
Well, we had the amazing honor of picking up a few of them and walking them all the way to the water, where they will go on to live for 70+ years. Crazy right!?
We were literally ushering these little guys into their next phase of life. And rather than having to make the journey themselves, they basically got a first class ticket on a direct flight to their destination.
(how cute is this guy!!?)
It felt like we performed a major mitzvah (good deed:) and we were so humbled by the experience.
Then I thought about my girlfriends.
While the transition of getting married can bring about a lot of different feelings from fear to excitement, there seems to be a common agreement amongst women who I have talked to, that the process can sometimes feel lonely.
The truth is that ANY transition or challenge we go through is done ALONE.
Yes, you are the ONLY one who will have to step your very own two feet into the new job, the new body, the new home or the new relationship. Nobody else’s feet will do.
But that doesn’t mean you have to do all the heavy lifting. That doesn’t mean you have to be lonely through the process.
These turtles could have never imagined that we would make their journey a little easier.
I would have never imagined that having my girlfriends gather around me during this time would make me feel so loved, seen and supported.
When we allow it, Life will often shower you with people, situations and little magical signs that CAN and WILL make your time easier.
It is our job to open up and put ourselves in the position to receive the support.
I was the one to suggest Mexico to my girlfriends so that I could celebrate this time. It was important to me.
But by taking that first step, I opened the door to receive more support and love than I could have even imagined.
The little turtles had to crawl out of that hole in the sand. They would have never imagined some giant humans would turn their epic journey into a 20 second walk.
Today, if there is something that you feel like you are doing all by yourself, I invite you use the following mantras to open yourself up to deeper sense of support. Because you don’t have to do it alone.
I am willing to be guided.
I let my heart lead.
I trust my intuition.
Support comes easily to me.
Now, I invite you to leave a comment below and tell me how this story inspired you and most of all whether or not you are willing to let go a little, today.
Love
Erin
Adorable photos! Such a powerful reminder. Thank you.
What a beautiful memory of your trip. i struggle with “doing it myself” but I have progressed to “but not all at once”. Underneath I have a sense of judgment-like I’m not doing it as fast, good, enough as someone else might. You know, that mythic person who does everythung more beautifully. Yeah right.
You captured our moment with the turtles with such beauty and insight. You are a soul gift to my life and a thought leader through and through. I will hold this memory and metaphor close to my heart FOR LIFE. Lifetimes of love mama.
Powerful posting and reminder that I am not alone which is exactly what I needed to hear today as I continue to process the loss of my mother last Friday…… the last 3 years of her life were so hard on her and emotionally wearing on me as well as her body slowly gave out and there was little I could do to ease her suffering: it’s difficult to see your beloved mother in constant pain. In addition, I was trying to balance work and take care of her needs which became increasingly time-consuming, the last month especially so: with little notice, I needed to locate an excellent long-term care facility, move her to the long-term care facility, work with both staff of LTC and hospice in coordinating her on-going care, and then be by her side as she passed 18 days later …… and now to find the energy to clean out her apartment and finish up her affairs. Many friends have offered to help but, for so long, I have felt so overwhelmed that I didn’t know what to ask for. But it IS important that I understand I don’t have to be lonely and feel as if I have to do all the heavy lifting by myself: it’s time for me to open up and take the first steps to be in the position to receive support – and just realizing this already makes me feel lighter. Thank you, Erin, for gifting me with this much-needed insight today.
Today’s message resonates with me. I feel so alone. Although I am constantly busy – more so now that I received more responsibilities at work – I feel lonely even though I am never really ‘alone’. I work days; my husband works nights. We have three children (11, 13 and 15) so everything falls on me since my husband works 4pm-1pm. This severe lonely feeling has always been there to some extent but it was manageable. Over the past couple weeks it has been much worse than ever before. Almost every day there is some type of pick up/drop off and pick up again. I can’t go to the gym anymore — I am so sad about that. My husband took a break yesterday and made dinner and I thought that it would fix everything and that I would wake up today feeling refreshed and happy – but I didn’t and I don’t know why. There is no one for me to ask for help in getting the kids ready in the morning, getting them to and from their activities, food shopping, cleaning, cooking, drs. appts. — EVERYTHING. I am so burnt out that the only relief for me each day is when I go to bed. I’m sorry to be such a downer but when I read today’s message — it just all came out of me. Thanks for listening.
oh Michelle – how worn out you must be …. I wonder if your husband realizes how exhausted you are ….. perhaps he could take over the grocery shopping and cleaning – plus make dinner every evening so it’s waiting for the rest of the family …. even if he has to be at work at 4:00, surely he has a couple of hours each day to invest in caring for your family to remove some of the burden you are carrying ….
Thank you Joyce. I feel a bit better today. My hubby and I talked and I know that he will try to help out more. Its just been a hard couple of weeks and hopefully things will get better. I just have to make a new plan for the gym and other things I’d like to do that I don’t seem to have the time to do right now. Sometimes it just feels better when you feel listened to. Thank you again Joyce.
Yo Erin, that is quite a vertical. Impressive. And I will always be there for you to talk about the vertical. BOOM!
See you soon.
#1 ^ He just made me laugh… Boom, yo.
#2 You rock, Lady! <3 <3 <3
#3 Beautiful story
Erin, you always say the right thing at the right time. Always. Thank you!!
thank you. i definitely needed this encouragement right now, erin. i’m so happy i have stayed attuned to your inspirational and supportive emails. congrats on your engagement and the new, happy transition. <3
Love you. Such a beautiful story and it was even more beautiful being there with you to celebrate this next exciting stage in your life. Carry on my little turtle. xo