Have you written yourself out of your own story? Leaving in the parts useful to others but omitting parts that make you feel alive – both the perceived “acceptable” and “unacceptable.”

It’s easy to do. We are tribal people and fundamentally want to fit in with the culture we find ourselves in. To be accepted by our tribe. Even individuals who live counter-culturally find those similar to be with and live into those “norms.” Even these “norms” might not be aligned with who we truly are – so we bend and adapt.

Now and again, I get glimpses of how I’ve written myself out of my own story… the collective lens that I was viewing and amending myself gets momentarily taken off, and I remember. Usually, it is a wild encounter in nature… playing with kids in freezing ocean water, wildly dancing to music, or moving slowly through the woods.

Nature offers the invitation to write ourselves back into our own story – to feel alive on our terms – a more wild expression.

One strikingly obvious way I’ve written myself out of my own story was reflected through my amazing book editor, who has known me for years. She appreciated the content – but didn’t see “me” in it. In my attempt to keep the inner struggles of the past covered up, I lost the whimsy, funny, and juiciness of me.

Even when we “write out” the not-so-shiny parts of our story, other parts that make us “magical” or feel alive can unconsciously be “written out.” 

So, over the past few months, I’ve been writing myself back into my book – AND into my life as well. Looking at the subtle, unconscious ways I have written myself out of my life story – or subtle yielded to collective “norms” – that aren’t my normal.

As the nights get longer and the days colder – we are gifted the opportunity to slow down, reflect, and rest. Remembering parts of ourselves have we “written out” to be normal, not rock the boat, or fit in with the culture we have found ourselves in.

The more I say no to the things that are not “part of my story” and yes to the things that are; I return to a state of flow. It’s a natural state of being. This is so hard to do in a world full of distractions. So I have great compassion for myself and each of you as we try to intuit our story versus the collective story that’s been put upon us. 

What is your “story,” and how do you want it to unfold? A sweet question to hold close to your heart as you approach winter.