"Remember how far you have come. Remember the deeper waters you have already tread through to get where you are today. "

Think about the days that shaped you.
Think about the nights that made you stronger
than you ever thought you would be.
The reason you were able
to make it through those things
is because you had to learn
how to travel
with courage
into the deepest
loneliest
place
in the valley.
You had to learn
to find peace
amidst all of the broken promises,
lying stiff like dried branches
beneath your tired feet.
You had to learn
to cry,
to shout,
to breathe.
You had to learn
to brave the deep.

Remember how far you have come. Remember the deeper waters you have already tread through to get where you are today. You may not be where you want to be, but you have already made it through so many things. You have already traveled through the deep.

And one of the beautiful things about remembering all you have been through is that you don’t have to dwell on it in order to be strengthened by it. You don’t have to live in the past in order to know that the past taught you something, and all of it points to your growth. The times you have braved the deep are a part of you and are woven into the tapestry of your life. You may not be aware of them in your day-to-day, and that’s okay, because you are still growing in courage and strength anyway.

Your ability to make it through the day when you’re exhausted or stressed is not a coincidence. Your awareness of your emotions and feelings is stronger than it was a few years ago. Your heart for justice, transparency, and freedom did not just appear out of thin air. There are things you have experienced in your own life that have led you there.

Even if you haven’t experienced anything that you would consider major in your life, the mere fact that you are breathing means you have had to learn how to survive. You may not have had to climb the same mountains as someone else, but not every single thing in your life has been easy for you, and that is worth acknowledging. No matter what your story is, there was something you went through that required resilience, courage, or vulnerability. Something happened that pushed you into deep end, and somehow, through it all, you learned how to swim.

Remember this when it comes to the deeper waters you are faced with today. You are more prepared for them than you realize. Just because you are not able to remember all of the millions of little ways you have grown over the years does not mean that your growth is any less valuable or significant. It is still woven into your story, showing up in the form of wisdom, courage, and grace all throughout life, even if you can’t see it yourself. This is where trust comes in. This is where you can choose to trust that even though you were not able to remember or make sense of everything that helped you grow, you are still growing in the way you were meant to. You still made it through deeper waters you never thought you would be able to make it through. You don’t need to dwell on the past, but you also don’t need to discredit or discount all the ways the past strengthened you and prepared you for the deeper waters that lie before you now.

More tomorrow…

Sincerely,
Morgan Harper Nichols