Discovering the Truth After Tucking Ourselves Away

I’ve done some traveling over the last couple of weeks, and on one of my flights I found myself unexpectedly tender around a moment I witnessed.

There was a little girl sitting in the seat in front of me. As we waited to board, she was delightfully in it — giggling freely, peeking back at me to catch my eye, asking curious questions, sprawling across her seat with her head in her mom’s lap and her feet pressed up against the window. She was relaxed. Playful. Completely at home in her little body. Freedom, on full display.

Freedom to Be

And then… the pilot’s announcements began.The seatbelt light clicked on.Flight attendants moved through the aisle, checking, instructing, enforcing.

Of course — safety first. Always.

But what struck me was the sudden, dramatic shift in the spirit of this child. Her joy was interrupted. Her body stiffened. Her play paused. She offered the tiniest resistance — just a flicker — and then whimpered in quiet defeat.

It was such a small moment. And yet… it felt heavy to witness.

That contrast stayed with me.

Because it reminded me how early we begin learning to contain ourselves.

As children, so many of us were told to stop. To quiet down. To sit still. To dress this way. To behave that way. To be polite. To be grateful. To be tidy.

We might have been too loud. Too emotional. Too playful. Too giggly. Too curious. Too sensitive. Too much of something… and not enough of something else.

We asked too many questions. We wanted too much. We ate too much. We slept too little. We moved too wildly. We felt too deeply.

And somewhere along the way, many of us learned that being fully ourselves came with conditions.

Most of us, in one way or another, were shaped to conform to the world around us — sometimes out of love, sometimes out of fear, sometimes simply to survive inside family systems, religious structures, or societal expectations.

At what point did we begin to live as someone else’s idea of who we “should” be?

Did we lose ourselves entirely… or did we just tuck parts of ourselves away for safekeeping?

Is social conditioning a necessary rite of passage- something we all move through in order to survive- only to spend our adult lives slowly unlearning, remembering, and returning to who we truly are?

And maybe… just maybe… that’s the sacred work of adulthood.

To gently shed the layers. To carefully uncover what’s real. To discover, accept, and forgive along the way.

Because the truth is- some of what we carry was never ours to begin with.

"Discovering the truth about ourselves is a lifetime's work,

but it's worth the effort". - Fred Rogers

This feels like the perfect season for that kind of inward turning. Winter has a way of inviting us to soften, to slow, to listen more closely. To cozy up inside ourselves. To warm our own hearts. To notice what’s ready to be released… and what truth is quietly asking to be welcomed.

We are worthy of living that truth. And only we can invite it in.

Reflecting to Discover

(or to journal… softly, slowly, honestly)

➡️ Where in your life have you learned to contain or quiet parts of yourself?

➡️ What parts of you feel ready to come back home?

➡️ What expectations might you be ready to loosen or release?

➡️ How could you invite a little more being into the doing of your days this season?

Gentle Invitations This Season

If this reflection is stirring something in you, you don’t have to walk it alone.

🌿 This Sunday — Women’s Circle A soft, heart-centered gathering where we slow down, share honestly, and remember ourselves in community. A place to exhale and be met just as you are.

🔥 Next Saturday — Fire Ceremony A sacred space to release what’s heavy and call in what’s aligned for the season ahead. Grounded, intentional, and quietly powerful.

✨ And always available — 1:1 Coaching with Me If you’re feeling the pull for deeper, more personalized support, during this gifting season I am offering THREE Complimentary 1:1 Clarity Calls (first come, first served) — a 75-minute space to explore where you are, where you long to be, and what might be possible with support. From there, we can gently feel into whether ongoing 1:1 coaching feels aligned. No pressure. Just curiosity, honesty, and resonance.

If any of this speaks to you…you’re already listening. And that’s where everything begins.

With so much love and gratitude,