My Summer Story

After almost two months of no writing, I was kind of hoping for some kind of epic return to the blogging world. So I’ve waited and waited, hoping that words would come to me, or ideas would flood my mind, or maybe, just maybe my creative spark would be reignited….but no words magically came to me overnight, no ideas rushed into my head, and my creative spark seemed to resemble a wet match. In short, life has seemed flatter than last months surf in southern California.

It’s been a hard few months. Major disappointment mid-summer left a pretty bitter taste in my mouth, one that I just couldn’t quite seem to get rid of. (Cue Lana Del Ray’s “Summertime Sadness”) And through this time of sadness, hurt, and confusion, I waited and waited, hoped and prayed that God would show up and change the outcome of this story, that He would bind up this worn and tattered heart.

For me, there is always something about the change of seasons that brings about a new sense of hope. And as summer slowly fades to fall, I am reminded that sometimes God is quiet. And in these quiet moments, when life feels hard and God feels far away, we learn. We learn and we grow and sometimes we find out who we are really supposed to be.

This summer was about losing myself to find something bigger, something better. It was a time to realize that my life doesn’t need to fit in a neat little box, I don’t have to color in the lines, and perfection is an unattainable standard that should be reserved for Heaven. This life has been entrusted to me and it is my job to shape it, mold it, live it, love it, appreciate it, and dream about it. I want my stories to be wild and free, full of love and light, packed with adventures and overflowing with joy.

So here I stand. Summer slowly slipping away, but the weight of its lessons heavy on my heart and mind as new season begins. And now I realize I don’t need to write something beautifully poetic and moving, I don’t need to wait for the right words to fill up empty pages, I don’t need to wait for my story to start. My story is now.

So, here’s my life, here’s my heart, put on display. I will struggle and I will triumph, I will have good days and bad days, I will hope and dream and wish on stars, I will drink too much coffee and eat too many sweets, I will forget to put sunscreen on and my hair will always be a salty, wild mess. I will run too many miles and take up new hobbies every week, I will laugh and I will laugh hard, I will smile at strangers, chase every sunset I can, and spend as much time on a surfboard as possible. It is my promise to the world and to myself, that I will always let these simple joys be a part of my story. This is who I am; a unique, creative, and beautiful child of God and that alone is what defines me and defines my story.