All In

We can ask ourselves this question: Do I prefer to grow up and relate to life directly, or do I choose to live and die in fear?*

There was a conversation about poker, about going all in. It got me thinking... Am I willing to go all in? Not in a game of Texas Hold 'Em, but in my life? My answer is a resounding, though fearful under the surface, YES. Gone are the days where I just went along in apathy, complacency and unawareness. Here is the day I live intentionally, with all my chips on the table. (Also some potato chips on the table because they are so deliciously munchable.) No cards up my sleeves, no reserving bets for a safer, more predictable round. I am ALL IN in my marriage; I am ALL IN in my motherhood; I am ALL IN in taking care of myself and growing softer, kinder and more open to what scares me. Deal it, Life, because even with my fears, I am a warrior.

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*quote from Pema Chodron, The Places That Scare You
**image from 2009 trip to Oregon--Warrior Pose during a scary, unpredictable round