I have the suffrage saying, “Forward out of darkness, forward into light” tattooed on my back. I got that tattoo after the first bill I ever wrote was killed the first year I introduced it in the Utah legislature. That saying has served me well over the years.
I believe that 2019 is the year we are beginning to see the light of change. So today, I offer you a poem and a blessing.
A Blessing for the New Year by Kayleen Asbo
As the hours of darkness begin to slowly wane from the winter sky, So too may the fearful places of your heart unclench their grasp on your life As the presence of light begins to grow with greater sureness with each passing day May your own courage blossom to open more brightly to truth and love.
Let this be the year that you turn off the television and silence the talk radio chatter in order to pick up the writing pen, the paintbrush, and watch the candle slowly burn.
May this be the year that you delight in seeing how much joy you can extravagantly spread. May you discover just how much beauty you can recklessly shower upon this thirsty world.
May this be the year that you tune both the dusty piano in the corner and the inner listening of your care-worn heart So that both can play in harmony with the chorus of creation.
May you break the invisible yardstick of impossible expectations and learn that just as you are, you are enough.
May this be the year that you cease trying to march to an imagined ideal and instead, wrap your arms around the messy wonder your life really is, hold it close and do the tango.
Let this be the year you befriend your soul in its radical particularity, not forsaking it yet again for the bland demands and cravings of the masses. Instead, may you elope with the wildness of your own true calling, marry your soul to its deepest longings and invite the hungry world to the wedding feast.
May the flame of the Graceful Revolution burn brightly in your soul. May you fan the fire of your calling to leverage your desire to create change. May you delight in the joy that your light brings to the rest of the world.
Have you signed up for your very own personal revolution yet? Join the Bird Girl Army and fan your flames for change. You can do it by clicking right here!
Happy 2019. It’s Friday, fuck shit up y’all. Love, Dr. Melissa Bird
I doubted if I was ready for Fanning the Flames but I decided to do the workshop anyway. I realized I do have issues I care about. In fact, I have some flames to fan. I would highly recommend Fanning the Flames to women because I think it’s important for women to have a supportive environment so they can identify that they are ready to make a change. Women don’t even have to be “ready” to get something out of it. It is great! – Kris McDuffie
Comments