Backwards is forwards
Maybe there is something really important — but invisible — happening in those moments that feel like a step backwards.
Maybe our job is to let go of judging our progress and to instead allow it to unfold organically.
Maybe when we zoom out we can see how those backward steps fit into the remarkable progress we have made, and we can use that perspective to stop judging ourselves so harshly.
Maybe we are not meant to march forward in a smooth, unbroken line of productive progress.
Maybe the steps backward are where we reconnect to our humanity.
Maybe just like a slingshot being drawn back, the backward step gives us the force needed to propel us forward, offering us the resilience and courage and awareness and learning that we need.
Maybe learning how to extend tender love and care to ourselves when we experience a setback is exactly what we are supposed to get out of the journey.
Maybe we can learn to see that a backward step is something to celebrate, because it means that we are still working towards something that matters.
Maybe joy is found in embracing all of the steps — forwards, backwards, sideways — and trusting that the journey is the reward itself.
