Dear Jessica Brennan,
Sometimes life brings you joy, and sometimes sorrow. Sometimes it brings you peace and other times chaos, and chaos is like standing in a blizzard, on a frozen lake with just an eighth of an inch of ice between you and crisis. Sometimes the threat of crisis is for you alone, and other times you may take others with you into catastrophe.
Some people create their own chaos and seem to live in it constantly, but most don’t go seeking it, yet that doesn’t mean that chaos won’t find them. Chaos is usually the result of instability, too much information and innuendo, and lack of really knowing who or what to trust.
So what do you do when the wind is howling, the sleet is in your eyes and you’ve just heard the metaphorical ice crack under your feet? Well as a person raised in Canada, I know that your best bet is to stop, lie down on the surface of the ice and cover it with as much of your body as you possibly can. Be very quiet so that you don’t create any tremors, and proceed slowly and silently, sliding to shore. The answer to chaos isn’t more chaos and in this example, the ice you are sliding on is truth.
Anchor to what you know is true first. It might be just one thing that you can count on, but that’s the thing that will start to lead you to clearer days. Once you’ve attached yourself to that truth, look around for what and who you can trust. What is absolutely undeniable? Who is totally credible? These decisions become your stepping stones out of the situation you are in. Don’t look for a truth you wish for, be clear on what actually is going on. Your gut is a great guide in these moments, so pay attention. If you feel like you’re trusting someone with sketchy motives, you are likely correct.
Truth will start to pull you from the storm. It will not be comfortable, particularly at first, but it will show you the way; the only way to find the peace you need. Once you follow truth, and tell the truth, and refuse to divert from the truth, you will start to feel calm. Even when the sleet is whirling, you will notice that the thin ice is getting thicker as you head to shore.
As pesky and scary as it can be, truth is the only way out of chaos.
Love,
Mum xo
