The inner story and the truth that shines

As I sat in my favorite sit spot
(An old worn-out wood chair has become my go-to place...
A mama’s respite throughout the day.)
As I sat, my mind showed me information given to me by the beauty of the nature that surrounded me.
I could see the life of the nature and could feel all the stories the trees hold—
Families
Harsh weather
Bug infestation...

The lineage of nature can teach us everything.

I thought about the inner lives we all have.
I considered the way that an actor prepares for a role and creates an inner life for the character they will play.

The inner story.

We all have an inner story happening all the time.

Often our response to day-to- day interactions
Comes from our inner story
And it often has nothing to do with the actual interaction.

My daughter asked me if I could dress, hmmm, a little less like a middle aged woman who stopped caring about how she looks.

Oh perspective, young woman..
Who I have supported in her sharing her truth
You, my girl, are seeing my inner life.
My inner story, like so many others,
(The men and women who care for others and hold the heart of the world on their backs)

Looks like sitting in the sun and not worrying about aging.
It looks like feeling what the sun feels like from the inside.
It means not needing others to tell me how to live.
It means a freedom that I had no idea was possible.
A release.
A surrender.

It’s not so much that I don’t care about myself, it’s that caring for myself looks different now.

Oh nature,
Thank you for holding me space to see and feel all that.

I may decide tomorrow
To cover my greys and throw on a real outfit.
But what I love
Is that I totally and completely get to choose..
I teach my daughter so much by being authentic
And Perfectly imperfect…

with Love Carrie-Anne

*this is an old story from Annapurnaliving.com