These are some words I wrote a few months ago. I read them again today and they are helping me honour a difficult time. So I’m sharing them here.

The awkwardness, imperfections, frustrations, and failings of life and being human: this is what I call ‘the mess’. (That and the fact that I love to cook but hate to do the dishes.)

I am inspired by people who are brave enough to speak up and say: ‘this is my mess’. They remind me to lean into the inherent creativity and sparkle of a good mess. And lend compassion and heart to wherever I’m at.

One thing is for sure: all good stories are made in the mess. What does your own mess look like today? What story does it have to tell? Try journaling about your mess and see what happens.

Joyful Mess

This is for

The loose ends

the parts that are

too loud or too quiet

too hard or too soft

too wanting or

too full.

This is for you

and your hurts

and my sensitivity

my sweetness

and my scabs and my scars.

My scars.

This is for my mess: for my literal mess

for the creativity and curiosity in me

that would rather make stuff than clean up.

This is for my untied threads

my unfinished, my uncertain

my ever

undone.

This is for my mistakes

and burned-out bulbs

and my lights still shining

and my shoes still standing.

This is for my failings

my secrets

my shape-shifting

my broken

ill-fitting and strange.

And this.

This is for you, my dear,

my dear, my endless, eternal

and plainly messy

messy

Joyful mess.