How to Create a Life Built on Trust

There are these magical creatures walking around who just trust in the wisdom of life. They believe with their whole hearts that everything always works out in the end. That everything in their lives is happening for their greater good. That the people, even the ones who wound them the most, are their greatest teachers. And that growth and enlightenment never happen when life is comfortable.

So they spend much of their time simply being present, carrying their hope and faith in a large cavern inside their chest, which they draw from without even a thought when the road gets dark and they have nothing but themselves to light the way.

How do I know these magical creatures exist? Because I've had the good fortune to learn from several such teachers. To borrow their hope when my own has grown tired and needed rest. To learn how to calm my racing mind when all around me, life screams chaos and entropy.

And I confess that, while much of the time I can live in this place of trust, just like every other human being, I sometimes need someone else's flashlight for a while. Just for a second. Because light is meant to be shared. And we're all better for it when we do.

But, of course, living in such a place means being real with our suffering. Hard seasons require a lot more light than we may have the energy to hold inside us.

We may not see how things will work out or where the next ground beneath our feet will appear. So knowing how and where we can refuel is vital. It's really the key to learning how to trust life. This is why meditation, returning to nature, and finding joy in the little things are so important. Believing in goodness means not only finding it but knowing what to look for in the first place.

Trusting life means learning to trust ourselves and remembering that we have that magic inside us, too. It's not reserved for a select few. We become those magical creatures one small act of trust at a time.

And one last thing: if you haven't allowed yourself to be silly in a while, I highly recommend it. Nothing stops a nervous system from spiraling like a good laugh. 🙃