The Morgan Harper Nichols Show

Falling out of sync, a poem (and podcast update) 

A conversation with Kelsea Olivia of @eastolivia

A conversation with Eniola Abioye  Eniola Abioye on Instagram  Eniola Abiyoe‘s website  _ Click here to leave a voice message! (click “message”) http://anchor.fm/morganharpernichols How you can support this podcast: Leave a review in the Apple Podcasts App! Download my app "Storyteller" for daily messages, wallpapers, and FREE push notifications: http://onelink.to/stapp My shop: http://garden24.co How you can connect on social media: Instagram Instagram.com/morganharpernichols Twitter: twitter.com/morganhnichols Pinterest: pinterest.com/morganharpernichols YouTube: youtube.com/morganharpernichols TikTok: tiktok.com/@morganharpernichols Facebook: facebook.com/morganharpernichols

A conversation about home, routine and life with Kennesha Buycks Kennesha on Instagram Kennesha's book "Restoration House: Creating a Space That Gives Life and Connection to All Who Enter" Kennesha's website and blog ___ Click here to leave a voice message! (click “message”) http://anchor.fm/morganharpernichols How you can support this podcast: Leave a review in the Apple Podcasts App! Download my app "Storyteller" for daily messages, wallpapers, and FREE push notifications: http://onelink.to/stapp My shop: http://garden24.co How you can connect on social media: Instagram Instagram.com/morganharpernichols Twitter: twitter.com/morganhnichols Pinterest: pinterest.com/morganharpernichols YouTube: youtube.com/morganharpernichols TikTok: tiktok.com/@morganharpernichols Facebook: facebook.com/morganharpernichols

Today I am talking with Johanna of @chalkandleaves! Johanna is an illustrator, business-owner, and full-time occupational therapy master's student. She started Chalk and Leaves at the end of 2019, and it took off quite unexpectedly in directions she never imagined. Now, she takes things day-by-day and spends her time either illustrating, shipping Etsy orders, learning how to be a good occupational therapist, or re-watching the same three TV shows over and over again. As an artist, Johanna loves creating fun enneagram doodles, advocacy-centered art, and body positivity pieces. She aspires to one day illustrate a children's book, while also working with kiddos as an OT.  Johanna on Instagram Johanna's website Johanna on Etsy

This was supposed to be a five-minute episode, but I ended up just sharing some of my unscripted, raw thoughts on yesterday. In short, I talk a lot about how the only way we are going to look forward is by looking back and taking a close look at what to do and what not to do. I talk about how I don't think "do your own research" is enough and we need to go deeper than that. Thanks for joining me today. And lately, if you are having a tough time right now, you are not alone. Seek immediate help if needed: http://twloha.com/find-help

Today I am joined by Dani Evans. Dani Evans is a Brooklyn-based model and designer. Born in Little Rock, Arkansas, she traded her small city roots for NYC after being crowned the winner of America’s Next Top Model: Cycle Six. She is also the founder of Monrowe: a hat brand inspired by her grandfather’s jazz legacy.  Follow Dani Evans Instagram (Dani Evans) Instagram (Monrowe) www.monrowenyc.com Click here to leave a voice message! (click “message”) http://anchor.fm/morganharpernichols How you can support this podcast: Leave a review in the Apple Podcasts App! Download my app "Storyteller" for daily messages, wallpapers, and FREE push notifications: http://onelink.to/stapp My shop: http://garden24.co How you can connect on social media: Instagram Instagram.com/morganharpernichols Twitter: twitter.com/morganhnichols Pinterest: pinterest.com/morganharpernichols YouTube: youtube.com/morganharpernichols TikTok: tiktok.com/@morganharpernichols Facebook: facebook.com/morganharpernichols

Today, I am chatting with Hugette Montesinos about living life with intention, the deeper meaning of color, and creating a roadmap to guide you through those moments where you feel stuck. This conversation inspired me to remember what draws me to color...sure, it's about the aesthetics, but there's so much more. Hugette's work is a wonderful reminder of this reality! Follow Hugette Montesinos: Instagram dfsmag.com radicalwomanroadmap.com Click here to leave a voice message! (click “message”) http://anchor.fm/morganharpernichols How you can support this podcast: Leave a review in the Apple Podcasts App! Download my app "Storyteller" for daily messages, wallpapers, and FREE push notifications: http://onelink.to/stapp My shop: http://garden24.co How you can connect on social media: Instagram Instagram.com/morganharpernichols Twitter: twitter.com/morganhnichols Pinterest: pinterest.com/morganharpernichols YouTube: youtube.com/morganharpernichols TikTok: tiktok.com/@morganharpernichols Facebook: facebook.com/morganharpernichols

Danielle Coke (OhHappyDani) OhHappyDani on Instagram OhHappyDani on Facebook OhHappyDani on Twitter How you can support this podcast: Leave a review in the Apple Podcasts App! Download my app "Storyteller" for daily messages, wallpapers, and FREE push notifications: http://onelink.to/stapp My shop: http://garden24.co How you can connect on social media: Instagram Instagram.com/morganharpernichols Twitter: twitter.com/morganhnichols Pinterest: pinterest.com/morganharpernichols YouTube: youtube.com/morganharpernichols TikTok: tiktok.com/@morganharpernichols Facebook: facebook.com/morganharpernichols

Here's the book Morgan mentioned! "Every Moment Holy" https://g.co/kgs/Wkafvi Click here to leave a voice message! (click “message”) http://anchor.fm/morganharpernichols How you can support this podcast: Leave a review in the Apple Podcasts App! Download my app "Storyteller" for daily messages, wallpapers, and FREE push notifications: http://onelink.to/stapp My shop: http://garden24.co How you can connect on social media: Instagram Instagram.com/morganharpernichols Twitter: twitter.com/morganhnichols Pinterest: pinterest.com/morganharpernichols YouTube: youtube.com/morganharpernichols TikTok: tiktok.com/@morganharpernichols Facebook: facebook.com/morganharpernichols

Click here to leave a voice message! (click “message”) http://anchor.fm/morganharpernichols How you can support this podcast: Leave a review in the Apple Podcasts App! Download my app "Storyteller" for daily messages, wallpapers, and FREE push notifications: http://onelink.to/stapp My shop: http://garden24.co How you can connect on social media: Instagram Instagram.com/morganharpernichols Twitter: twitter.com/morganhnichols Pinterest: pinterest.com/morganharpernichols YouTube: youtube.com/morganharpernichols TikTok: tiktok.com/@morganharpernichols Facebook: facebook.com/morganharpernichols

Today, I am joined by Christine Yi Suh! We talk about making time to dream and create, even when so much is changing around us, and the schedule is full. We also talk about parenthood, daily life, and what Christine is dreaming of. Christine is a pastor, writer, creative, and spiritual director who is passionate about the intersection of soul care, justice, and faith from the margins. Her forthcoming book, Forty Days on Being a Four releases in 2021 and explores the intersection of her enneagram number, Korean American ethnic identity, womanhood, activism, and faith formation. She and her partner David live outside Los Angeles and love sharing their Korean heritage with their two kids, Samuel and Ellie. Connect with Christine Yi Suh Website Instagram Book - "Forty Days of Being a Four" Mentioned in the episode Article by Christine Yi Suh (Missio Alliance) - "Practicing Abundance in an Age of Anxiety" (this includes the 'Breath' Prayer Morgan mentioned) Sacred Rhythms by Ruth Haley Barton

Today, I am talking with writer, guide, and therapist Lisa Olivera about curiosity over judgment, especially as it relates to our own voices, and how to work through feeling like our voices don’t matter. We talk about routine shifts, liminal space, journaling, and what advice Lisa would give to herself, ten years ago — I am so excited to share this conversation with you today. Connect with Lisa Olivera Lisa Olivera on Instagram Cultivating You Course Lisa's Website Click here to leave a voice message! (click “message”) http://anchor.fm/morganharpernichols How you can support this podcast: Leave a review in the Apple Podcasts App! Download my app "Storyteller" for daily messages, wallpapers, and FREE push notifications: http://onelink.to/stapp My shop: http://garden24.co How you can connect on social media: Instagram Instagram.com/morganharpernichols Twitter: twitter.com/morganhnichols Pinterest: pinterest.com/morganharpernichols YouTube: youtube.com/morganharpernichols TikTok: tiktok.com/@morganharpernichols Facebook: facebook.com/morganharpernichols

Today, I am joined in conversation by Keturah King — journalist, television host (including pioneer host of CNN African Voices), actress, and contestant on Masterchef USA — where I first saw her! In this episode, we talk all about the heart of the dream. We walk about how, when we dream of what could be, we are not just dreaming for ourselves but for those who will come after us. I hope that this conversation inspires you to continue to cultivate a hopeful imagination, and not only for today, but for the next generation. Keturah King Website Instagram Twitter Click here to leave a voice message! (click “message”) http://anchor.fm/morganharpernichols How you can support this podcast: Leave a review in the Apple Podcasts App! Download my app "Storyteller" for daily messages, wallpapers, and FREE push notifications: http://onelink.to/stapp My shop: http://garden24.co How you can connect on social media: Instagram Instagram.com/morganharpernichols Twitter: twitter.com/morganhnichols Pinterest: pinterest.com/morganharpernichols YouTube: youtube.com/morganharpernichols TikTok: tiktok.com/@morganharpernichols Facebook: facebook.com/morganharpernichols

In today's episode, I talk with author, writer, and licensed therapist Minaa B. on how we spend our time and all of the beautiful lessons that arise from being mindful of our time. Connect with Minaa B. Minaa B. on Instagram Minaa B.'s (new!) shop Minaa B.'s workshops Minaa B.'s book, "Rivers Are Coming" How you can support this podcast: Leave a review in the Apple Podcasts App! Download my app "Storyteller" for daily messages, wallpapers, and FREE push notifications: http://onelink.to/stapp My shop: http://garden24.co How you can connect on social media: Instagram Instagram.com/morganharpernichols Twitter: twitter.com/morganhnichols Pinterest: pinterest.com/morganharpernichols YouTube: youtube.com/morganharpernichols TikTok: tiktok.com/@morganharpernichols Facebook: facebook.com/morganharpernichols

Dylan Mierzwinski is an artist and illustrator living in Phoenix, Arizona, and this episode is all about trying new things. I met Dylan because I moved to a new city, Dylan talks about trying new art styles, and how to be challenged and encouraged by community. - Morgan Harper Nichols Connect with Dylan Mierzwinski: On Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bydylanm Dylan’s Skillshare Courses: https://www.skillshare.com/user/dmierzwinski Mentioned in the episode: The artwork of Dylan’s that Morgan mentioned: https://www.instagram.com/p/CHQohSWnyRe/ How you can support this podcast: Leave a review in the Apple Podcasts App! Download my app "Storyteller" for daily messages, wallpapers, and FREE push notifications: http://onelink.to/stapp My shop: http://garden24.co How you can connect on social media: Instagram Instagram.com/morganharpernichols Twitter: twitter.com/morganhnichols Pinterest: pinterest.com/morganharpernichols YouTube: youtube.com/morganharpernichols TikTok: tiktok.com/@morganharpernichols Facebook: facebook.com/morganharpernichols

I think one of the biggest myths about creativity is that it's all about making art. In reality, creativity is about the process and everything we learn while trying to make something new, no matter what the final product looks like. Creativity is a way to share a message we truly care about that otherwise may not have been heard. Creativity is a form of illuminating what’s important that gets easily looked over or forgotten. Creativity is many things, and for NIKKOLAS SMITH, creativity is a place where he has found peace. NIKKOLAS is an Artivist, children's book author, a Hollywood film illustrator whose work serves as an invitation into conversations and stories that are worthy of illumination. NIKKOLAS SMITH Instagram Twitter Facebook Website Ask me anything! Click here to leave a voice message! (click “message) http://anchor.fm/morganharpernichols How you can support this podcast: Leave a review in the Apple Podcasts App! Download my app "Storyteller" for daily messages, wallpapers, and FREE push notifications: http://onelink.to/stapp My shop: http://garden24.co How you can connect on social media: Instagram Instagram.com/morganharpernichols Twitter: twitter.com/morganhnichols Pinterest: pinterest.com/morganharpernichols YouTube: youtube.com/morganharpernichols TikTok: tiktok.com/@morganharpernichols Facebook: facebook.com/morganharpernichols

In today’s episode with Courtney Burg, we talk about roadblocks. We talk about the things that get in the way in life, work, and relationships. In the moment, it can feel like the circumstances or emotions that keep us stuck are permanent. In that place, Courtney’s writing serves as a graceful, yet direct tool to show us that even when the roadblocks slow us down, and even when they go on for miles and miles, perhaps, there is still a way around it. We can still make it through. Perhaps, there is still room to work through all of the things we thought would hold us back.  - Morgan Harper Nichols Listen to our conversation on… Listen on Spotify Listen on Apple Podcasts Other ways to listen Courtney Burg Courtney Burg’s website Courtney Burg on Instagram Courtney Burg on Facebook Referenced in the episode: Courtney’s post that Morgan mentioned: https://www.instagram.com/p/CEAhGyMntPN/?igshid=3y9lis6wz122 The book Morgan mentioned: To Bless The Space Between Us by John O’Donohue The book Courtney mentioned: Educated by Tara Westover

Season 5, Episode 3: When to say ‘yes,’ and when to say ‘no’ with Monica Zuniga. Monica is a coach, consultant, communicator — and a friend of mine! Today we’re walking about what it means to build a meaningful life and how that involves not only saying ‘yes,’ but saying ‘no,’ letting go, and setting boundaries. Monica Zuniga’s Website (We Are Unveiled) Monica Zuniga on Instagram We Are Unveiled on Instagram Podcast Mentions The Instagram post that Morgan mentioned: https://www.instagram.com/p/CHS0YxeHIPF/ The poet and poetry book that Monica mentioned, “Between Fire and Flowers” by Drew [Hanna] https://www.instagram.com/drew_988/?hl=en

Season 5, Episode 2: How to find rhythms in the wild of change with Tess Guinery.  Tess is a dancer by upbringing, a designer by trade, and an artist by calling. Tess is currently working on book no.3 (Surprise title) which launches 2021 and is on the cusp of launching her new fine art range 'Words for Walls.’ Tess Guinery's website Tess Guinery on Instagram The Apricot Memoirs (Instagram) The Moonflower Monologues (Instagram) _ Morgan Harper Nichols' website Morgan Harper Nichols on Instagram

Season 5, Episode 1: How can we make the most of where we are now? No matter the season? Today is the first day of a new season of my podcast where I will be interviewing storytellers from around the world on how they are finding peace and meaning in life and work. Today, I am sharing a conversation I had recently with Monique Coleman: Actress, Global Youth Advocate, and Founder of Mo'Tivated Product and Gimme Mo. Monique Coleman on Instagram GimmeMo' Youth on Instagram GimmeMo' Talk on Instagram

Click here to leave a voice message! (click “message) http://anchor.fm/morganharpernichols How you can support this podcast: Leave a review in the Apple Podcasts App! Download my app "Storyteller" for daily messages, wallpapers, and FREE push notifications: http://onelink.to/stapp My shop: http://garden24.co How you can connect on social media: Instagram Instagram.com/morganharpernichols Twitter: twitter.com/morganhnichols Pinterest: pinterest.com/morganharpernichols YouTube: youtube.com/morganharpernichols TikTok: tiktok.com/@morganharpernichols Facebook: facebook.com/morganharpernichols

Waiting is an invitation into noticing - noticing all of the little details that get forgotten when life is busy, and we're rushing from one thing to the next. Waiting invites us to be still and listen. In that stillness, we may hear the creek of the neighbor’s stairs in the townhome next door. We may notice how quickly we get bored a little bit more than before. And we also start to notice the precise moment where the sun rises. The precise moment where light filters through. The leaves on the tree across the street, and how each color, yellow and green, dance their way into noon. In the waiting, we notice that we're not the only ones waiting. We're not the only ones walking a little slower, looking around, noticing the little things that get so easily forgotten. All around us, there are other people and animals too - engaging and experiencing the same things that we're seeing. Even when it seems like much of the world is rushing from place to place, from space to space - there are still all of these other people who are waiting just like us. There are all of these other people who are learning to look closely at their relationship with solitude and silence. What matters is that we know we are not the only ones waiting. We are not the only ones turning our face to the window for any little flicker of light that reminds us we are loved and we are seen. So the next time you turn to the sun, or you feel the wind blowing around you: know, in that moment, someone else is feeling that too. You may never meet this person or speak to this person. But you can imagine: what do they look like? What are they waiting for? What chapter are they in, in their story? Why are they noticing the wind today? What about this particular sunrise caught their attention? Even when we don't know each other, we can hope for the best for one another in the waiting. We can smile at the possibility that maybe someone who is just walking down the street is finally getting that fresh air that they've been needing. Maybe that car that drives by just like every other car is a car that holds someone who has a story, who's on their way to a new chapter in that story. Someone who is trying to make the most of the waiting. I hope today that your imagination can take you to a hopeful place. A place where you imagine a better present and a better future, not only for yourself, but for those around you. We may never know the ins and outs and details of the stories of people that we cross every day. But we can trust that far beyond what we see, new connections are being made. We are all in this together, learning to make the most of the wait. Journal: Listen for a car outside or the sound of someone speaking not too far away, and ask yourself: what beautiful thing do you hope happens in their life today? How you can support this podcast: Leave a review in the Apple Podcasts App! Download my app "Storyteller" for daily messages, wallpapers, and FREE push notifications: http://onelink.to/stapp My shop: http://garden24.co

This is for the one who is patiently waiting to see things come together in your life, while simultaneously seeing things fall into place in the lives of others. You found yourself in a place where you're grateful for where you are and you're excited for those around you - and you also find yourself saying, Congratulations! And I'm so happy for you! so much to the point that you just wonder, when is anyone going to say this to you? When are you going to hear those words echoed back to you? Congratulations, I'm so happy for you! I'm so glad to see things working out. Again, you're grateful for where you are. And it's not that you live for the approval of others or you live to acquire material things. But every now and then, you wonder what it would be like to finally see the fruits of your labor. To finally get that deep breath, that sigh of relief that so many others around you seem to receive. In that place, I hope you know, there is no shame in feeling frustrated or disappointed because you’re yet to see things fall in place. It's okay to feel impatient, because to feel impatient is to feel human. You can be the most grounded and grateful human being, and yet - you are still a human being. In the same way your physical body hungers and thirsts, this is also true of your heart. Whatever it is that you're craving right now shows that you are still in this life. You are still connected to the ground beneath your feet, even when it feels like your mind is miles and miles away. So allow yourself to wonder. Allow yourself to ask questions - to pray prayers about your longing. Having gratitude for where we are is a wonderful thing, but not when we're shaming ourselves into it. If gratitude becomes a way to ignore the gravity of what we are longing, then gratitude is not enough. Because the purpose of gratitude is not to make us get in line and forget everything that we've ever longed for. But it is to help us be grounded in the present moment as we continue to face new unknowns. Having gratitude for what you have doesn't mean ignoring your needs. If you are in need of love, belonging, acceptance, intimacy, affection - it's okay to name those things, even if you already have relationships that you're grateful for. You are allowed to be grateful and thankful for where you are - excited for your friends and your family. And at the same time, acknowledge wherever your needs are not being met. It is okay to long for more. It is okay to admit that you're tired of waiting. It doesn't mean you're ungrateful to admit that you are tired of waiting. At the very same time, as you exhale those words, may you remember that you are more than those words. You are more than those feelings. You are more than that expression. There is life beyond what you've just shared. Whether you're sharing it in your journal, with a friend, a therapist - allow yourself to feel. Allow yourself to express honestly, and allow yourself to trust that even here there is more to come. Journal: What are you longing for right now? How you can support this podcast: Leave a review in the Apple Podcasts App! Download my app "Storyteller" for daily messages, wallpapers, and FREE push notifications: http://onelink.to/stapp My shop: http://garden24.co

May you never forget the beauty and the power of community. Sometimes community means a big group of people, where you feel seen and heard by more than one person - and sometimes community is seeing yourself reflected in a work of literature, and a poem, or comedy series. So whenever you feel a sense of warmth today, or you find yourself laughing, or enjoying the presence of a song, or of another person, consider this to be a moment that you are engaging in community. You do not have to have a big group of like-minded people to know that you are seen. Yes, this can be immensely valuable. But now more than ever, we are having to get creative about how we connect with others. So keep this in mind - if you feel alone, if you feel like you're not able to connect with others in the way that you used to or the way that you desire to. You are not the only one experiencing this, you're not the only one walking through this. And here's the thing: we are also able to connect around what we don't know. If you have to feel lost or lonely or overwhelmed, trust that at any given moment, there are other people out there experiencing the same thing. I have said this quite a bit here, and it remains true: none of us have ever been here before. We are each having to get creative and push into the deep layers of creativity in ways that we have never had to do in our lifetime. At the same time, this work connects us. This work shapes us together and reminds us that we are not in this alone. This unique year has also stirred up so many unique ideas among us. So let us share the recipes. Let us share the poems and the comedies and the movies that have spoken to us and brought us joy, laughter, and meaning in uncertain times. Let us allow our creativity to be an opportunity for generosity and connection, even when we are apart. I believe that I have shared this poem by Kahlil Gibran before, but I want to share a little bit of it today if that's okay with you. Let there be spaces in your togetherness. And let the winds of the heavens dance between you. Love one another but make not a bond of love: let it rather be a moving sea between the shores of your souls. And stand together, yet not too near together: for the pillars of the temple stand apart, and the oak tree and the cypress grow not in each other's shadow.  - Khalil Gibran These words were written in 1923. Even if we are apart, we are not alone in any of this. Journal: Where will you find togetherness today? How you can support this podcast: Leave a review in the Apple Podcasts App! Download my app "Storyteller" for daily messages, wallpapers, and FREE push notifications: http://onelink.to/stapp My shop: http://garden24.co How you can connect on social media: Instagram Instagram.com/morganharpernichols Twitter: twitter.com/morganhnichols Pinterest: pinterest.com/morganharpernichols YouTube: youtube.com/morganharpernichols TikTok: tiktok.com/@morganharpernichols Facebook: facebook.com/morganharpernichols

Today's episode is for the one who feels like you have been called to something more and yet you don't quite know what. You feel the pulse, you feel like you're on the verge of something, and yet, you also feel like you're staring at a blank canvas. With a whole variety of paint - many colors sitting at your side - with no idea of how to mix them together, what to paint, how to paint, how to create something. And yet, these tools are here. And yet, nothing comes, you're still waiting, you're still trying to figure out what this is, what's calling your name to create, what new thing were you meant to step into? I cannot tell you exactly what you were meant to do in the next few weeks, few months, few years, or decades, but I can tell you that there is something right here in the present moment that does bring you alive. There is something right here that does energize you. You do not have to start with a blank canvas in order to create something beautiful. You do not have to start with a blank journal page in order to contribute something of value. If you feel energized by learning new things about the world or you feel motivated when you get to spend a little extra time with the people that you care about, continue to do those things without worrying about the outcome. That pulse that you feel when you're doing something you love doesn't always have to turn into a project. You are allowed to nurture what brings you joy without worrying about how it fits into the larger picture. You are allowed to be excited about something in this present moment, even without knowing if that excitement will come tomorrow. That is all the more reason to feel the full weight of the excitement today. How can you nurture the relationships and connections and curiosities that you have right here in the present moment? Give energy to the things that bring you joy, and the things that bring others joy-  right here, right now, without worrying about the outcome. Without worrying about how this is going to play out months from now, years from now, or decades from now. You will arrive at the future when you are meant to be there. And in the meantime, you have today to make the most of where you are. Journal: What energizes you? How you can support this podcast: Leave a review in the Apple Podcasts App! Download my app "Storyteller" for daily messages, wallpapers, and FREE push notifications: http://onelink.to/stapp My shop: http://garden24.co How you can connect on social media: Instagram Instagram.com/morganharpernichols Twitter: twitter.com/morganhnichols Pinterest: pinterest.com/morganharpernichols YouTube: youtube.com/morganharpernichols TikTok: tiktok.com/@morganharpernichols Facebook: facebook.com/morganharpernichols

Whenever you feel like you're not good enough to handle the task at hand, I hope you can always remember that there are so many ways to be good at things. Not everyone is skilled in the same way. And even further, it can take years - even decades -  to figure out where you're able to work and flow the best. Allow yourself to go on that journey of figuring it out. Allow yourself to engage in the practice of learning and growing more and more of how you're wired. Even when it comes to personality theory, for instance, the enneagram - there are so many different versions of each type, that it is impossible to be able to completely map out who you are, especially in a short frame of time. It may seem discouraging at first to feel like you don't really have a grip on who you are. And at the same time, this is true: everyone else is on this journey to. Everyone else, including the people you look up to, live with their own questions on how to cope and make the most of this life. No one has figured it all out yet. And even when we do get into a stride and we start to feel pulled in a certain direction, we must remember that it's exactly that - a direction, not a destination. Even when the plans line up and we're ready to go on our next adventure, we are still venturing out into a new unknown, but there is no reason to be afraid of the unknown. For while the unknown may bring up certain fears -  it also brings with it the possibility that there is more to your story that is worth uncovering. The more you travel into the future each day, the more you will start to see new things about yourself in new ways. Trust, you're going to learn more about yourself as you go. You're going to learn how you work best. You're going to learn how to rest. You're going to learn that everyone else is still learning, and whatever little bit of wisdom you pick up along the way will prepare you for the days to come. There will be days where you wonder if you're good enough, and on those same days you will learn to carry on. You will learn to carry on knowing that every moment is wrapped in grace, and you are free to travel through the rest of the day and the rest of this life - pace by pace by pace. Journal: What work do you feel like you're not good enough to do and you can still try to do it anyway? How you can support this podcast: Leave a review in the Apple Podcasts App! Download my app "Storyteller" for daily messages, wallpapers, and FREE push notifications: http://onelink.to/stapp My shop: http://garden24.co How you can connect on social media: Instagram Instagram.com/morganharpernichols Twitter: twitter.com/morganhnichols Pinterest: pinterest.com/morganharpernichols YouTube: youtube.com/morganharpernichols TikTok: tiktok.com/@morganharpernichols Facebook: facebook.com/morganharpernichols

To the one who is slowly starting to see the progress You are coming into the Light. You are coming into the Light realizing that losing control in the past doesn’t mean you will lose control every moment in the future. You are learning to be kinder to yourself. You are learning to see that there is a way to be honest about where you need to grow without judgment. It’s taken a lot to get here, but you are well on your way. You are becoming more and more of who you were meant to be, every single day. Stay the course. You are moving forward, one day at a time. Even on the days where you feel like you are about to lose control over your emotions, you’re still learning to breathe through this. Even when everyone else seems further along than you, Light still pours through. The narrow path beneath your feet is warm with lamps that show you the way. There is no need to worry. The past that you thought would define you is getting further and further behind you. Beautiful things are unfolding in their time. You are finding grace for this part of the journey. And yes, you are still learning. You are still learning how not to compare yourself to others. You are still learning not to comparing where you are to your past self. And at the same time, here you are, breathing through. Slowly letting go of old ways of thinking and carrying on, anyway. You are noticing what brings you to a place of peace. You are nothings flickers of sunlight poking through the clouds. You are starting to see it now…you are not where you used to be and that is a beautiful thing. Question of the day: Where is the sun shining through today? How you can support this podcast: Leave a review in the Apple Podcasts App! Download my app "Storyteller" for daily messages, wallpapers, and FREE push notifications: http://onelink.to/stapp My shop: http://garden24.co How you can connect on social media: Instagram Instagram.com/morganharpernichols Twitter: twitter.com/morganhnichols Pinterest: pinterest.com/morganharpernichols YouTube: youtube.com/morganharpernichols TikTok: tiktok.com/@morganharpernichols Facebook: facebook.com/morganharpernichols

Transcript: When the sun sets sooner than you want it to, and you are trying to make up for lost time, ask yourself, “who or what am I trying to keep up with, and why?” When you’re out by the ocean, you don’t question the waves for arriving slower on the shore than they did an hour before. When you’re amongst the winter trees you don’t think less of them because of the absence of leaves. When you’re underneath a clouded sky you don’t shame the clouds for taking their time to roll by. So why would you do this to yourself? Why would you think for a moment that you were worth any less if you were unable to rush ahead? The modern world is filled with rushing, easily measured things and at the same time, that’s not how your heart beats. That’s not how your body breathes. So more than we seek to see ourselves reflected in a human-made calendar or someone else's schedule or way of living, let us look toward the natural, sacred rhythms around us. Our clocks and watches can tell time but they cannot tell us how to find meaning in the time we’ve been given. No matter the landscape you live in, there are unique qualities that you can look at slowly, closely, and lovingly. Notice what brings you a sense of peace. Notice how you don’t end up comparing yourself to the trees or the sunrise or the open fields in all their beautifully created glory. What if you were able to see your relationship with others in this way? What could daily life be like if comparison or worries about time were not in the way? It’s not too late to pursue a life beyond the worries that you don’t have enough time to live a meaningful life. It’s not too late to turn and face the windows and notice what brings you a sense of peace. Maybe, the open sky looks this way today for a reason. Maybe the trees or even the dirt patches outside your window have a story to tell. Perhaps, they have a purpose. Let today be a day of long, slow, looks. Long, slow looks, right here, where you are. This moment has something to show you right now and you are free to take the time to listen. How you can support this podcast: Leave a review in the Apple Podcasts App! Download my app "Storyteller" for daily messages, wallpapers, and FREE push notifications: http://onelink.to/stapp My shop: http://garden24.co How you can connect on social media: Instagram Instagram.com/morganharpernichols Twitter: twitter.com/morganhnichols Pinterest: pinterest.com/morganharpernichols YouTube: youtube.com/morganharpernichols TikTok: tiktok.com/@morganharpernichols Facebook: facebook.com/morganharpernichols

Transcript: If you find yourself becoming more aware that we are coming toward the end of another year, and you’re wondering if you’ll have time to complete all of the things you set out to do, I hope you can remember the peace you found in the days behind you. The days where you didn’t make it to the end of the checklist, but you did make it to your bed at night, where you were able to rest, despite all you did not complete. The days where you gave all of your time and energy to everyone else, and then ran out of time for yourself…even on the days, you woke up to a new morning. You woke up to a new morning with awareness that even though you couldn’t press the ‘undo’ button or add more time to yesterday,  you could start again today, anyway. Whenever you start to feel the hours slipping away from you, and you start to wonder if you’re going to make it to the end of the year or the end of this season with a sense of accomplishment, take a deep breath and remember how you have grown despite things not working out in the past. Take a deep breath and remember that even though you can’t get the time back, it wasn’t all bad. Yes, there were things left undone in the past, and there were also lessons learned that prepared you for where you are today. May you never let the memory of gathered wisdom slip away. Because even if you step into the future without the accomplishments or accolades you thought you would have by now, you are stepping into the future a little wiser. You’ve learned from your mistakes. You’ve even learned from the mistakes of others. You’ve learned that you can still be whole amidst everything that was left undone. As we move toward the end of the year, you might feel the rush of things. And at the same time, I hope you are able to lean into the peace that has already found you. Peace that reminds you to breathe deep and keep going. Peace that reminds you are whole and you are free to grow in grace and wisdom, no matter what remains undone behind you. You are not running out of time. You are making it through this just fine.  Question of the day: When is the last time you made it through a day you didn't think you'd make it through? - Morgan Harper Nichols How you can support this podcast: Leave a review in the Apple Podcasts App! Download my app "Storyteller" for daily messages, wallpapers, and FREE push notifications: http://onelink.to/stapp My shop: http://garden24.co How you can connect on social media: Instagram Instagram.com/morganharpernichols Twitter: twitter.com/morganhnichols Pinterest: pinterest.com/morganharpernichols YouTube: youtube.com/morganharpernichols TikTok: tiktok.com/@morganharpernichols Facebook: facebook.com/morganharpernichols

Slowly but surely, you're beginning to realize that the past will not have a permanent effect on your life. Even though you know more about the days behind you than you know about the days before you, this remains true: this present moment is about something so much more than comparing the present to the future. This present moment is a space to practice hope, no matter the unknowns that lie before you. For this moment right here will never be here again. Soon, this will become a past moment. Soon, this will become a day behind you. So before it becomes another past moment, how can you allow this moment to be different than the others? What can you do today, in this very hour, that you haven't done in a very long time, or you've never done before? Because now that you know that your past did not define you, this present moment doesn't have to be about keeping up with a storyline of yesterday. You are allowed to change things up. You do not have to be the same person that you were a year ago, a month ago, or even an hour ago. And if someone else says, hmm, you seem a little different these days or oh, you're changing course again, you are allowed to say yes, I am, and nothing else. You do not have to explain yourself. You are allowed to change course. You are free to go off script. And you are free to be excited about it. You are allowed to declare with confidence: no, I am not who I was yesterday. And I have this moment right now to try something in a new way. No, I do not know how tomorrow will go, but I am at home in grace. Grace that frees me to be who I was meant to be right here in the present moment. Not attached to who I was yesterday. Now there will be thoughts and maybe even conversations that continue to come up about yesterday. And at the very same moment you are afraid to try new things. You are free to ask, what does courage look like today? Not - what do I think courage will look like tomorrow? But what does courage look like today? What does joy look like right now, in this very hour? What would it look like to change my mind about something - right here, right now? You are allowed to ask new questions today. You are allowed to lean into the present moment in an all new way. Journal: How is today different from any other day? How you can support this podcast: Leave a review in the Apple Podcasts App! Download my app "Storyteller" for daily messages, wallpapers, and FREE push notifications: http://onelink.to/stapp My shop: http://garden24.co How you can connect on social media: Instagram Instagram.com/morganharpernichols Twitter: twitter.com/morganhnichols Pinterest: pinterest.com/morganharpernichols YouTube: youtube.com/morganharpernichols TikTok: tiktok.com/@morganharpernichols Facebook: facebook.com/morganharpernichols

If you happen to feel that this week is asking a lot of you - as you try to look ahead, while also reckoning with everything that has already happened - I hope that this could be a reminder to take a deep breath. For yes, you don't know what tomorrow is going to look like, and this is also true: the moments you are taking on days like this to breathe, are also strengthening you. Slow down and take a moment and think of a place or a space that gives you a sense of calm. Is it by the lake, by the ocean, out in the forest? What part of that place is always constant? Do you always hear the sound of the water there? Do you always notice the way the sun rises through the trees? Notice how even your memory of this place can bring you to a moment of stillness. Notice how the leaves on the trees are still green, or the bark or rich brown, or the color of the water clear and glistening in the light. Notice how all of these things are still present and steady, even when life is not. When you find yourself overwhelmed by chaos, or even an awkward conversation that has to be had, take a deep breath, and remember that place. Allow whatever is beautiful about that landscape to speak to your soul. Even though taking a moment to reflect on something beautiful may not make your problems or your worries go away, they will remind you that you have the opportunity every day to find a sense of steadiness. Merriam Webster defines steadiness as: the state of continuing without change. So whatever it is in the present moment, or even just in your memory, that reflects a sense of changelessness -  a sense of consistency and stability - allow yourself to hold onto that image. And allow yourself to go into that image. Pay attention to what colors, what textures, what the weather is like in that place. And again, this won't make everything that is difficult or challenging in life suddenly disappear - but it will illuminate what is beautiful. What is true. What is steady, even when uncertainty surrounds you. Find steadiness today by reflecting on what has not changed. Find steadiness by reflecting and holding on to what is beautiful and true, no matter what's around you. Journal: Using all of your available senses, describe a place that brings you a sense of calm. How you can support this podcast: Leave a review in the Apple Podcasts App! Download my app "Storyteller" for daily messages, wallpapers, and FREE push notifications: http://onelink.to/stapp My shop: http://garden24.co How you can connect on social media: Instagram Instagram.com/morganharpernichols Twitter: twitter.com/morganhnichols Pinterest: pinterest.com/morganharpernichols YouTube: youtube.com/morganharpernichols TikTok: tiktok.com/@morganharpernichols Facebook: facebook.com/morganharpernichols

This is your Monday morning reminder that you can do this. Whether you have a busy week ahead; you have known busy weeks before. Whether you have a slower week ahead; you have known slower weeks before. Whatever you are facing - yes, it is unknown. You've never been through these exact sets of dates before. And at the very same time, you have already gathered wisdom, courage, and strength to make it through each day, each hour, each minute. So let today be the day you stay awake. Stay awake to each moment, knowing that it will prepare you for the next moment. Annie Dillard once said, How we live our days is how we live our lives. On its own, this Monday may seem like another day to get through. It may seem like another day on the calendar that will pass in a matter of hours before you are on to the next one. The reality is: the beauty that you notice today, the small courageous steps that you take today, the moment that you encounter love, and you actually embrace it - all of these things are strengthening you for what's to come, even though you don't know what's to come. Today is so much more than just another day. It is rich with possibility to learn and to grow. The poet David Whyte once said, You are not a troubled guest on this earth, you are not an accident amidst other accidents you were invited from another and greater night than the one from which you have just emerged. That's from his book, What to Remember When Waking. Today is the day to stay awake. Even if we can't quite grasp the fullness of what it means to be present on yet another day, we can still trust that it matters that we woke up yet another morning. Yet another day is before us. Another week is before us. And no matter how we feel about the days to come, we know that we are free to take this one day at a time, one step at a time. One breath at a time. Even here, this is a sign of strength and growth. Journal: What are you looking forward to this week? How you can support this podcast: Leave a review in the Apple Podcasts App! Download my app "Storyteller" for daily messages, wallpapers, and FREE push notifications: http://onelink.to/stapp My shop: http://garden24.co How you can connect on social media: Instagram Instagram.com/morganharpernichols Twitter: twitter.com/morganhnichols Pinterest: pinterest.com/morganharpernichols YouTube: youtube.com/morganharpernichols TikTok: tiktok.com/@morganharpernichols Facebook: facebook.com/morganharpernichols

The future will arrive when it is meant to arrive, and you do not have to exhaust yourself in the present moment trying to figure out how you will get there. The energy you have been giving to thoughts about the future is energy you need for right now. The time you have been given to try to sort through things in the past is time you could be spending in the moment that lies right here before you. Be present to this moment and let it surprise you, with just how beautiful this day can be beyond the boundaries of your worries. Dare to let yourself just be here. Dare to believe you are free to make the most of life while living with uncertainty. Because this is the wilderness, and it is not where you thought you would be. But it is out here on the unbridled paths you will find the courage and strength you need to be present in the moment and make the most of the little things. For even here, the sun is still rising. The wind is still blowing. And no matter the unknowns, you are still growing. Even when your mind is anxious, and you feel lost indoors, trying to make sense of a place you have never been before, I hope you can trust that the sun is still rising - even if you don't watch it rise - and that means something. You have not missed out on what was meant for you, even when it feels that way. When I talk about what was meant for you, I don't mean a perfect life down the road where everything will fall in place exactly how you expect it to. What I mean is that no matter what is missing in the present moment, life can still be fulfilling in the days to come. Maybe it might look differently than what you originally planned. Maybe some of the people that you thought would be there are not going to be able to be present in the way that you hope that they would. Maybe some of the places that you used to visit or the places that used to feel like home might not feel like home anymore. At the very same time, you are going to be fine. Maybe not perfect, but fine. You will find grace in the lining of every new day that lies before you. Journal: What about the future scares you? And what about the future excites you? How you can support this podcast: Leave a review in the Apple Podcasts App! Download my app "Storyteller" for daily messages, wallpapers, and FREE push notifications: http://onelink.to/stapp My shop: http://garden24.co How you can connect on social media: Instagram Instagram.com/morganharpernichols Twitter: twitter.com/morganhnichols Pinterest: pinterest.com/morganharpernichols YouTube: youtube.com/morganharpernichols TikTok: tiktok.com/@morganharpernichols Facebook: facebook.com/morganharpernichols

So much has happened this year, and now you're starting to see things in a new way. You're paying closer attention to the details. Your gratitude is growing. This year, you've been strong and you've been tender. You've shown up with courage, and you've taken time to rest. I hope more than anything that you can continue on this journey of seeing the world in a new way. I hope that as the days and weeks pass and the seasons begin to change all around you, a desire to learn and grow will run ever wild within you. Remain in the present. Let these become the days you look back on with gratitude for how you chose to come alive here. Let the photograph you're taking be the photographs that remind you: all along the little things were worth so much more than most would give them credit for. All along every day, light was pouring in, in a million subtle ways, and you chose to capture them. You chose to hold on to them. And years from now, this will matter more than you know. No one can take this from you. You may not know where you will be a year from now, but this moment, right here, exists all on its own. Every new breath you breathe is an invitation to come alive in it. So continue to make the most of where you are, as you are. Continue to trust that you are free to let light in, even when the future is uncertain. May you continue to experience a beautiful, meaningful life, all because you chose to see how it all begins - right here in the present moment. One day you will look back and be so glad that you chose to step forth in this season. You will be so grateful that even when you are met with resistance, it was worth it to keep pushing through. It was worth it to keep trusting and believing that there was more ahead of you. And not that this present season is perfect, and it is everything you thought it would be, but it is a place where you are learning and discovering there is just so much more to see. And even though you are being challenged, you are still growing. Your heart is opening and you are seeing new things coming together. You are awakening. You are awakening. Journal: What are you awakening to? How you can support this podcast: Leave a review in the Apple Podcasts App! Download my app "Storyteller" for daily messages, wallpapers, and FREE push notifications: http://onelink.to/stapp My shop: http://garden24.co How you can connect on social media: Instagram Instagram.com/morganharpernichols Twitter: twitter.com/morganhnichols Pinterest: pinterest.com/morganharpernichols YouTube: youtube.com/morganharpernichols TikTok: tiktok.com/@morganharpernichols Facebook: facebook.com/morganharpernichols

If it's still in your mind, it is worth taking the risk. Paulo Coelho. Many of us have wondered: what are we supposed to do with our lives? Even if we don't think about it all the time, at one point or another, we have wondered: when are we supposed to settle down or shake things up? Where are we supposed to be working? Where are we supposed to be spending our time? These questions don't have easy answers. And at the same time, it often feels like if you have them, then finally - you will be able to breathe! Finally, you'll be able to plan for the future and actually start to look ahead in a hopeful way. We hold back from taking risks, because to take a risk is to dive into the deep end of the unknown. And oh, wouldn't it just be so much easier to know? Wouldn't it just be so much easier to finally get clarity that says, this is what you were supposed to do! This is where you were supposed to be! This is the clear choice that you should make! But the beautiful reality is that even without those clear cut answers, we learn to keep going anyway. We learn to keep trusting even when we don't realize we are trusting. Every day is brand new, and we wake up not knowing what is going to happen, and yet we show up anyway. We do the work that needs to be done. Questions find us and we continue to become who we were meant to be. So now that you know this, I hope that today can be a day that you lean into the questions. Right here, right now, you are free to pay attention to all of the thoughts that cross your mind, all of the feelings that you are able to identify, and wonder again and again. Maybe it's through these things that I can find the courage and strength to keep going. One example of this is to pay attention to the things that make you angry. Some of us have been told that we should never be angry, or we should never show negative feelings. Yet, it is often our anger and our frustration that reveals what we're truly passionate about - what change we want to see in the world. Our strong feelings may not tell us exactly what we're supposed to be doing in this season of life, but they might just show us where we can start to look. They might just show us as Paulo Coelho says, where we might want to take a ris. For perhaps taking a risk is just another way of saying: I'm going to try this. I don't know how it's going to turn out, but I'm going to try anyway. I don't know the outcome of every possible choice, so I'm going to choose courageously. I'm going to choose courageously knowing that I am going to learn and grow either way. For I am learning to be less afraid. I am learning that I am free to live fully even while I wait for things to fall in place. Journal: Where will you take a risk today? How you can support this podcast: Leave a review in the Apple Podcasts App! Download my app "Storyteller" for daily messages, wallpapers, and FREE push notifications: http://onelink.to/stapp My shop: http://garden24.co

When you have an awareness of your own struggles, your awareness equips you with a certain kind of empathy - an empathy that is patient and kind, because you know what it's like to struggle. You're slower to judgment when you see someone else struggling, because you've been there. When you have an awareness of your own struggles, you have a way of holding space that matters more than you know. Even if your stories aren't exactly the same, if you have known pain, you know the value of being seen. You know this deeply and intimately. This is why you do the work you do. This is why you make the art you make. Something deep is driving you. This is why you seek justice when the scales have been drastically unbalanced, in favor of judgment, because you know what it feels like to be on the other side. On the other side of the gossip. On the other side of the rejection. You know what it's like to be the outcast, the different one, the misunderstood one. And one of the things that the struggle has taught you is that you don't want anyone in that position to feel that way. This is why you keep showing up every day. This is why you do the work you do. You are doing so much more than just traveling through. You care for those in vulnerable places, not only because you feel like you have to, but because deep in the well of your soul, you believe in the power and vitality of love. You know that even when you can't fix things to make it all perfect for someone, it still matters that they feel seen. You have known unknowns in your life, and you have worked through restless nights. You have also known what it means to wake up to morning light. And this deep knowing shines through the work you do. Every new day you are alive is proof that there is more to you. And while it takes so much courage to be here in this life, things are starting to become a little bit more full circle now. You're starting to see that because you've lived it, you know this: if someone is still in progress, it doesn't mean they are worth any less. And even while you are still healing from some of the wounds that have found you and the words that were said, there's a fire inside of you that wants to make sure others don't feel that way. Your concern and your empathy for others is rooted in love. Love that has not let you go even when you were in the lowest place. May you carry on today giving from the love lined place of your heart. Be present with empathy. Act on hope. Your heart for healing matters more than you know. Journal: When you hear the word empathy, who comes to mind? How you can support this podcast: Leave a review in the Apple Podcasts App! Download my app "Storyteller" for daily messages, wallpapers, and FREE push notifications: http://onelink.to/stapp My shop: http://garden24.co How you can connect on social media: Instagram Instagram.com/morganharpernichols Twitter: twitter.com/morganhnichols Pinterest: pinterest.com/morganharpernichols YouTube: youtube.com/morganharpernichols TikTok: tiktok.com/@morganharpernichols Facebook: facebook.com/morganharpernichols

Perhaps more than life, it's about assuring that we won't fail. It's about realizing that with every new morning, we are free to try again. The mere fact that we are here on this all new day means that yesterday was not the end. The sunshine is proof that once again, despite all of yesterday's unknowns, there is more to this life, there is more to you. Failures often feel more final than they really are. An end of a storyline in your life might feel like the end of the story altogether. However, beyond the feeling, we must remember that because we can only ever see the story from our own perspective, we don't know what all of the other characters are up to. We don't know what other plots are developing beyond our scope of things. Our failures don't cancel out the possibility of new beginnings. Our fears of the future don't mean that the future is doomed. As long as we are here, new days will find us. Morning light will continue to remind us beyond our ways of thinking, there is still more to see. In one of my favorite books, On the Brink of Everything, Parker J. Palmer writes, But I do know this: once I understand that I'm not the sun, I can get out of the sun's way and stop casting shadows. I can step aside to let the true sun shine on everyone and everything, making all things ripe with a glow of life. Parker J. Palmer The way that you can start to trust that there is more to you is by accepting that it is not all up to you to perfectly plan out every plotline in your life. And the more you are able to embrace the failures as a part of the story, the more you begin to see: this is one narrative out of many narratives folding in and out of your life. Think about it this way. There have been times in your life or failure meant someone else's success. And there have also been times in your life where your success meant someone else's failure. It is possible that when you got the job that meant someone else didn't. When you were admitted into the university, someone else was denied. Even romantically, two people falling in love might mean another person having to let go of the unrequited feelings they had for someone. Our stories aren't just our stories. They are woven in and out of countless other stories. We have no idea how every little thing will impact some other thing. This is why we have to trust. We have to trust that we are a part of a story that is so much greater than us. And our moments of plot twists and unexpected character arcs are a part of a greater story that is so much larger than we are. So if anything in your life feels like a failure right now remember the bigger picture. Remember, once again, you have arrived at morning. Today is new, you have not reached the end. Journal: When was the last time you experienced a positive plot twist in your life? How you can support this podcast: Leave a review in the Apple Podcasts App! Download my app "Storyteller" for daily messages, wallpapers, and FREE push notifications: http://onelink.to/stapp My shop: http://garden24.co

While you wrestle with the possibility that things may not go back to how they were, I just hope you know: it is still a sign of strength that you are learning to work through this. The mere fact that you have made the choice to no longer hold it all inside is a sign that you are finding perhaps, in its own strange way, that letting go brings healing. And not that letting go makes everything easier. In fact, there are times where initially it might only remind you of the wounds, but even there, it can also remind you: you are worthy of release. You are worthy of being free from all the things that broke your heart. Even here, you're stepping out of the shadows and into the light. You are learning to face what you truly feel and say the words you really want to say. You are learning to be brave. You're finding that even though it might be so hard to have to move on this way, there is still boundless grace that says: your story will go on anyway. Within this grace, you will heal. You will carry the lessons you learned in this season into new seasons. You will wake up years from now and realize that this heartbreak was still a part of a greater story. You will find that there was so much more ahead of you, even when it was hardest to believe. So no matter how tomorrow goes, please do not be hard on yourself. You have been broken open to heal and you are not weak for feeling tender. You are doing the right thing and being honest and stepping forward into the light, trusting that no matter what is revealed, there is space to be alright. Not perfect, but alright. And you can move through these hallways with courage, knowing you did everything you could and the future can still be beautiful, light woven, honest, and good. Journal: Where are you learning to let go right now? How you can support this podcast: Leave a review in the Apple Podcasts App! Download my app "Storyteller" for daily messages, wallpapers, and FREE push notifications: http://onelink.to/stapp My shop: http://garden24.co How you can connect on social media: Instagram Instagram.com/morganharpernichols Twitter: twitter.com/morganhnichols Pinterest: pinterest.com/morganharpernichols YouTube: youtube.com/morganharpernichols TikTok: tiktok.com/@morganharpernichols Facebook: facebook.com/morganharpernichols

Perhaps after all the love you have given to others, you are free to trust: you are worthy of love too. You are free to trust: there is a life worth living, beyond carrying everything on your shoulders. You have the capacity to hold so much, so do not forget to hold space for rest. For so long, you have desired to understand others, because it was hard to understand yourself. The love you felt you were not receiving you gave to everyone else. So just in case no one has told you lately: you are worthy of the same love you give. You bring value when you show up for others and also, when you breathe deep and simply live. You long to find your place in the world. You long to be fully present. And I just hope that just as much as you are present to others, you are also present to yourself. You see beauty in the life of others and the stories that they tell, and I just hope you know as you listen: you are worthy of being heard as well. You love others so well. You see where the light pours through. May you know the same love you give, you are worthy of receiving too. Maybe there's no such thing as self care versus taking care of others. Maybe they're intertwined. Maybe we need each other and we also need to remind each other that it is okay to take time to rest. That we are valuable even when we are not working. We are valuable even when we do not feel that we are at our best. We must carve out space and time to go out into the wilderness and return when we have rested. And we must also encourage one another to do the same. None of us are able to run on empty and yet our minds work overtime to convince us that we can. Let us continue to remind one another to rest even if we have to rest in shifts. Let us continue to love well, knowing this does not mean we have to abandon ourselves. Let us take breaks when we need to take breaks no matter how short they are. Let us ask for support where we need support, even when it feels awkward or countercultural to do so. Let us love well every moment we live, knowing we are worthy of the same love we give. Journal: How can you find moments of rest at the beginning of a week? Thank you for listening. And if you have been using these journal prompts, and you feel open to sharing, I would love to hear from you. Feel free to send your journal entry in any form. It can even be a picture to morgan@morganharpernichols.com and if you would like to remain anonymous, please note that in your submission. I would love to share some of these on the podcast. How you can support this podcast: Leave a review in the Apple Podcasts App! Download my app "Storyteller" for daily messages, wallpapers, and FREE push notifications: http://onelink.to/stapp My shop: http://garden24.co How you can connect on social media: Instagram Instagram.com/morganharpernichols Twitter: twitter.com/morganhnichols Pinterest: pinterest.com/morganharpernichols YouTube: youtube.com/morganharpernichols TikTok: tiktok.com/@morganharpernichols Facebook: facebook.com/morganharpernichols

I have refused to live locked in the orderly house of reasons and proofs. The world I live in and believe in is wider than that. And anyway, what's wrong with maybe? - Mary Oliver from her poem, “The World I Live In” Every day, you and I are faced with the reality of all that is unknown. We learn to live without answers, without clarity, without knowing how the story ends. We learn to live the “maybe”; we learn to live the questions. We learn to trust that even though it is hard to find our way under the night sky, even then the stars still shine. Even then you are free to breathe deep, and fall asleep just fine. One of my favorite quotes from Frodo in Lord of the Rings says, “Now not day shall be Beloved, but night too shall be beautiful and blessed and all fear pass away.” When you've come to the end of the day, when you've come to the end of the week, when you've come to the end of what you know -  it doesn't mean that you have seen the end of beauty. When you arrive at the edge of what you know, you may feel overwhelmed by the mystery of it all. And you may also feel hopeful of the possibility of what could be. You might just stand there in the wide open of your unknowns with one glad maybe. Maybe even here, tomorrow could be beautiful. Maybe even here, grace will continue to find me. Maybe there's nothing wrong with maybe, maybe there's nothing wrong with being in the in-between. You can still come alive here; you can still become who you were meant to be. Whether the night sky shines with just a few stars or it's full blue in the light of the sun, you will never be able to figure out everything at once. And that's okay. Grace and peace for the present moment will find you anyway. Allow yourself to embrace the maybe today. Allow yourself to breathe right here in the in between. Journal: How will you embrace the “maybe” today?

Today, I begin with a quote from one of my favorites, Corita Kent. She was an artist, a nun, educator and social justice advocate. As artists, we work every day. We make our own lives every day. We care for our family every day. It is hard daily work, this creative process. These words are part of a larger piece in the book Learning by Heart by Corita Kent and Jan Steward. And what I love about this book is that it's not so much a book for just the professional artists but for the student. I truly believe that we are all students of life. And in this particular section of the book, she's talking about the artist inside of each of us. I think that oftentimes we think about the work that we need to get back to. What she talks about in this section is how the work that we do every day is actually the larger art. It's the work when we go to our canvas, or our desk, or whatever it is that we consider work. Yes, that's a part of the work, but the real, the rich, the larger work - the larger art - happens in daily life. I share this today for the overworked. For the one who doesn't feel like you have enough time to get back to the work that you want to be doing. Instead you find your schedule filled to the brim of all of the things that you have to do - where obligation outweighs inspiration. I share this with you today as a reminder that when you are out doing the most mundane tasks, doing the most ordinary things, this matters too. This too is creativity. There will come a time when you get back to the work that you wish you could be doing right now. But in the meantime, you have right now to allow life to teach you what it wants to teach you. Even if those lessons don't come instantaneously, right there in the moment, trust that everything that you are experiencing - from the food that you're tasting today, to the conversations that you overhear - all of this is a part of you being here, you being present to your life right here, right now. For whoever needs to hear it right now: today is not the day to put more on your plate. Today is not the day to feel ashamed for all you did not accomplish. Even as I record this, I can hear the sound of my son's toy in the next room. And I had a brief moment where I thought, hmm, I guess this podcast is not going to be what I want it to be today. Because after I record, I have other things to do. So as of right now, I'm going to let that sound stay in the episode, even if no one can hear it but me. Even if it bothers me. I'm going to let today be what it needs to be. I am going to allow moments of laughter and creativity to find me in unexpected places. Join me as I work to be excited about joining in on the larger art. Join me as I work to be filled with joy at the possibility that this day, right here, right now, matters more than I can see today. And if I don't have time to do all of the things that I want to do, that is okay. I am growing anyway. I am a part of the greater picture, all the same. Journal: If the room or space that you are in right now were a painting, what would the primary themes be?

Light! more light! the shadows deepen, And my life is ebbing low, Throw the windows widely open: Light, more light! before I go. Francis Ellen Watkins Harper, “Let the Light Enter” May you approach this day with gratitude and hope that even here, you are learning things that are integral to your growth. And one day you will look back and find you are growing in ways you could not see at the time. You found light pouring in through unexpected places. You found moments of joy right in the middle of your unknowns. So let joy be joy, even when it feels subtle and fleeting. Even when joy takes on the form of a momentary flicker, it is still worth noticing and keeping. Because no - everything won't be beautiful or easy. But it won't all be difficult either. Many things in life will require a fight, and on some Monday nights, you will fall asleep just fine. There will be people who don't keep their word, and there will be others that will. Sometimes you'll learn and grow on the road, and other times, you will learn from standing still. Embrace the ebb, but don't forget the flow, those unforced moments of joy matter more than you know. Let the light in, let the light in fully before the day goes. Let joy find you and have hope: this is all a part of your growth. And when you start to doubt your growth, and you start to doubt your ability to push through these unknowns, just remember: all around the world, people are joining you on this journey. We are all still learning, traveling -  pace by pace. A year from now, we will all look back and see that flowers still bloomed this year. We will all look back and see all of the little places where light continued to find us again and again. You and I have not seen the end, even on our slower, more doubtful and cynical days, let us continue to let the light pour in. Journal: Where in your life is it hardest to see the light? How you can support this podcast: Leave a review in the Apple Podcasts App! Download my app "Storyteller" for daily messages, wallpapers, and FREE push notifications: http://onelink.to/stapp My shop: http://garden24.co How you can connect on social media: Instagram Instagram.com/morganharpernichols Twitter: twitter.com/morganhnichols Pinterest: pinterest.com/morganharpernichols YouTube: youtube.com/morganharpernichols TikTok: tiktok.com/@morganharpernichols Facebook: facebook.com/morganharpernichols

"A desert is a place without expectation."  – Nadine Gordimer One day you will look back and see that sometimes the desert was the place where you needed to be. With wide open skies and crumbling rocks at your feet, withering trees and rising heat. There's something about this open space that reminds you, you are free to trust that you are being shaped here, even if it's not where you thought you'd be. For learning to be here does not mean that you are forever stuck in this place. It's just that sometimes we learn laughing and in love back in the city - and sometimes we learn out in the wide open, quiet space, where all we can do is listen and learn to let go of our expectations. And perhaps as our expectations begin to slowly slip away, we will make room for new ones. We will realize that even though we have lost beautiful things, we can still hope for what could be. For out here in the whistling winds, we are still alive and we are still free. We are free because now, out here,  we have nothing to lose. For we have already learned what it means to say goodbye in this life. And we have already learned how, when, and where to move on. And we may not have expected to land in the desert. But we have been prepared for moments like this. We have been prepared to exist in a space like this. So give yourself some credit. Yes, the desert is wildly unknown. Yes, there have been nights where you have felt far from home, and this is also true: this is wide open space. Feel the possibility of what could be. Feel the piping winds of grace. Journal: What expectations are you slowly learning to let go of right now? How you can support this podcast: Leave a review in the Apple Podcasts App! Download my app "Storyteller" for daily messages, wallpapers, and FREE push notifications: http://onelink.to/stapp My shop: http://garden24.co How you can connect on social media: Instagram Instagram.com/morganharpernichols Twitter: twitter.com/morganhnichols Pinterest: pinterest.com/morganharpernichols YouTube: youtube.com/morganharpernichols TikTok: tiktok.com/@morganharpernichols Facebook: facebook.com/morganharpernichols

"Raise your words, not your voice. It is rain that grows flowers, not thunder." - Rumi Whenever you start to feel that you need to say more, do more, be more - remember the power of patience. Remember that wisdom takes years to cultivate, and oftentimes even decades. In other words, it's okay if you can't find the right words to say. It's okay if you don't know right away how you feel about something. You may feel like the entire world is demanding an answer - demanding a response. And at the same time, you are free to give a full bodied “no”. You are free to inhale, exhale, and let it go. And in that letting go you will find you have just a little bit more time to actually focus on the things that bring life. You will find that in the silence, in the space where you felt so pressured to speak and have the right words to say, that there is room to listen, to study, and to take time to take things in. To grow in wisdom. Wisdom that takes time. Wisdom that is not based on in the moment reactions. So whatever words you need to say, let them find you in the rain. Drop by drop, falling to the ground. Notice the gentle aliveness in their sound. There is no need to fear what is quieter or slower to come to life. Even if it means there will be some people who think less of you if you are slower to speak or not so quick to act. Even then it is worth it to spend some time raising your words. Letting those words slowly rise up within you. Letting wisdom find you slowly and gracefully through the days, months, years, and decades. Let the gentle yet consistent sound of rain remind you it is okay if it takes time to find the words to say. Journal: What does “raise your words, not your voice” mean to you? How you can support this podcast: Leave a review in the Apple Podcasts App! Download my app "Storyteller" for daily messages, wallpapers, and FREE push notifications: http://onelink.to/stapp My shop: http://garden24.co How you can connect on social media: Instagram Instagram.com/morganharpernichols Twitter: twitter.com/morganhnichols Pinterest: pinterest.com/morganharpernichols YouTube: youtube.com/morganharpernichols TikTok: tiktok.com/@morganharpernichols Facebook: facebook.com/morganharpernichols

“No matter what all your teeth and wet fingers anticipated, there was no accounting for the way that simple joy could shake you.”  — Toni Morrison, Beloved When you start to feel the joy you haven't felt in the longest time - even if it's fleeting - allow yourself to smile fully and widely. It is far too easy to feel like you are not worthy of feeling good, of feeling joy. Who are we to feel good, when so much is still wrong? But here's the thing we have to remember: we are allowed to hold both sorrow and joy at the same time. And if the joy starts to feel a little bit heavier and a little bit closer than usual, and it starts to spread wide into a smile across your face, and you cannot hold it back - allow it. Welcome it with open arms and an open heart. You don't have to ask joy any questions. You are free to let joy just be. Whether it's a childhood memory mixed with a little nostalgia, a moment of laughter when you aren't even sure if it was supposed to be funny. And when joy looks like hope rising up over the horizon, causing you to breathe deep with anticipation for what's to come. When the cynicism hasn't caught up yet, let joy run. Let joy run wild and free over everything you are feeling. Even in the unknown, even in the uncertainty, joy - even in its flickers - can still be healing. The light pouring in on the autumn leaves,  the song that reminds you you are still free to believe in tomorrow. You have felt the full weight of sorrow. Allow yourself to feel the full weight of joy. Journal: When was the last time you experienced unexpected joy? How you can support this podcast: Leave a review in the Apple Podcasts App! Download my app "Storyteller" for daily messages, wallpapers, and FREE push notifications: http://onelink.to/stapp My shop: http://garden24.co How you can connect on social media: Instagram Instagram.com/morganharpernichols Twitter: twitter.com/morganhnichols Pinterest: pinterest.com/morganharpernichols YouTube: youtube.com/morganharpernichols TikTok: tiktok.com/@morganharpernichols Facebook: facebook.com/morganharpernichols

Now more than ever, may we remember how far we have come. We have seen many things change this year, and we also have hope for the morning sun. And under that morning sun, there will still be work that needs to be done. But we will not work alone. We will work together. We will heal together. And if you have ever made it through seasons that you never imagined you would make it through, you know that healing is a journey. You know, that is anything but easy. And you also know this: through it all, you are free to keep breathing through, day by day, step by step, knowing that even when it doesn't feel like it, this too is progress. So give energy where you need to give energy and rest where you need to rest. For we have come so far and we are still not finished yet. There will be many mountains that meet us in the distance, and grace will meet us too. And we will realize that even when it feels difficult, we will still make it through together. If ever you start to doubt that this is possible, remember the times in your own life where it seemed impossible to make it through. Remember the songs that spoke to you. Remember the prayers, the journal entries. Remember all of the things that came out of you. And even though you didn't get the answer right away, and it didn't fix itself right away, you still continue to travel day by day. You made it another month. You made it another year. You made it another decade. Remember all of this. Let it be a reminder that now is not the time to give up. Now is the time to breathe deep and trust. There is so much more ahead of us. Journal: What is your hope for your family? And what is your hope for your community? How you can support this podcast: Leave a review in the Apple Podcasts App! Download my app "Storyteller" for daily messages, wallpapers, and FREE push notifications: http://onelink.to/stapp My shop: http://garden24.co How you can connect on social media: Instagram Instagram.com/morganharpernichols Twitter: twitter.com/morganhnichols Pinterest: pinterest.com/morganharpernichols YouTube: youtube.com/morganharpernichols TikTok: tiktok.com/@morganharpernichols Facebook: facebook.com/morganharpernichols

You and I have heard many times: the importance and the value of love. However, we must remember that love is not passive. Love seeks justice. Love seeks reconciliation. Love seeks healing. And because of this, love is anything but easy. Love is more than just smiling and being kind and agreeing to disagree. Love is radical. Love changes things. Love challenges our ideas, and challenges us to let go of old ideas. And whether we are learning to show love to a family member, a friend, a co-worker, a partner, a stranger - we must remember that sometimes love looks like a long road ahead. Love looks like patience. Love looks like listening. And when we listen, we gain understanding - and maybe not total understanding - but we gain understanding about where our boundaries are, we gain understanding about the work that we need to do. So perhaps even when we are giving love, we are also learning about ourselves. We are learning that even amidst the tension, it is still possible to be present. When we give love, we are reminded of love's abundance. That even when we extend kindness, patience, acceptance, belonging to others and it is not received and it is not returned - love still goes on. Love is still greater than any fear, any ounce of shame, guilt, or doubt. And amidst all that is still unknown, that is worth taking at least one deep breath for. One deep breath to be reminded that there is no shortage of opportunities to grow deeper into love. Even when you have known heartbreak - even when you have been abandoned by those who are supposed to love you - there is still room on the landscape for you to know love in other places. Love will continue to find you, and opportunities to extend love will continue to find you too. Journal: What do you think is missing from conversations about love? How you can support this podcast: Leave a review in the Apple Podcasts App! Download my app "Storyteller" for daily messages, wallpapers, and FREE push notifications: http://onelink.to/stapp My shop: http://garden24.co How you can connect on social media: Instagram Instagram.com/morganharpernichols Twitter: twitter.com/morganhnichols Pinterest: pinterest.com/morganharpernichols YouTube: youtube.com/morganharpernichols TikTok: tiktok.com/@morganharpernichols Facebook: facebook.com/morganharpernichols

Sometimes the unknowns cause us to feel far from home. The uncertainty feels like a big, blue sea that we can never fully comprehend or understand. And at the same time - whatever the great unknown is - is something we cannot avoid. In one way or another, we are all waiting for something. Some are waiting for answers for their health. Others are waiting to feel at peace after a season of unrest. Some are waiting to find a sense of belonging, and a meaningful relationship. And if you have been waiting for a while, you may feel like the deep blue sea of uncertainty is pulling you further into the abyss every day. Every time you try to swim up to the surface, you're exhausted, inevitably, and you sink back down again. The great unknown of it all is impossible to ignore. Questions about the future bang  at the door of your heart. You're trying to fight your way up to the surface and into clarity. If it feels that way internally, take a deep breath, and take a moment to reflect on something unknown that draws you in in a peaceful way. For some it might be the night sky. For others, it might be the forest, the mountains, or the ocean shore. As you hold this image in your mind, think about how this place makes you feel. Do you feel at peace? Do you feel just a little bit free to forget your worries for a minute and be present in the moment? Being drawn to a beautiful place is about so much more than the aesthetics. A landscape is so much more than its photographic value. A landscape that is bigger than us as a way to remember that yes - we will face things in this life that are bigger than us, but we can still be fully present, despite them. We can still see what's beautiful about the space we are in, even though we have yet to know every tree, every star, or every wave. The ground beneath our feet is still steady. We are still free to know home even when we feel alone. There's a reason why ocean shores around the world are lined with beach homes. There's a reason why window seats on planes are coveted spots for excited travelers. We are drawn to the concept of more at the core of our being. We are drawn to what is greater than us. Remember this when the unknowns are too much to bear. Keep breathing through. Hold on to what is greater than you. Journal: Other than where you live, where do you feel the most at home? How you can support this podcast: Leave a review in the Apple Podcasts App! Download my app "Storyteller" for daily messages, wallpapers, and FREE push notifications: http://onelink.to/stapp My shop: http://garden24.co How you can connect on social media: Instagram Instagram.com/morganharpernichols Twitter: twitter.com/morganhnichols Pinterest: pinterest.com/morganharpernichols YouTube: youtube.com/morganharpernichols TikTok: tiktok.com/@morganharpernichols Facebook: facebook.com/morganharpernichols

So much has changed since November of last year. And your anxious heart is asking: where do we go from here? How do we find space to grieve what was, while still hoping for better outcomes? Is there still time? Is there still space before everyone graduates, and we all move away? Perhaps even here, you can trust. Even when you do not ask for things to change, you can still look back and be proud of every beautiful connection you made. For even the beautiful things we don't get to take with us still shape us in meaningful ways. So take heart and know what you are feeling is real, and it is okay if it takes time to heal, as you uncover what friendship will look like in this season. You may feel uneasiness, and you may feel new questions rising up like fire within you. You may struggle to ask them for fear of how they will be received. But even then, you are free to believe even without the answers, your heart is longing for. The bond you shared mattered, even when it does not lead to more. Take heart. Lean into peace, knowing you have done so many things to maintain these connections and make them the best they can be. If it's time to move on, it will take a lot to be strong. But you will get where you're going, landing where you belong. You will leave some things behind, but your heart will heal with time. You will be proud of the new connections that were made. Even when everyone moves away, you will continue to connect deeply and meaningfully through the years . You will be okay. You will be okay. Journal: Have you experienced a change in friendship this year? What lessons has it taught you? How you can support this podcast: Leave a review in the Apple Podcasts App! Download my app "Storyteller" for daily messages, wallpapers, and FREE push notifications: http://onelink.to/stapp My shop: http://garden24.co How you can connect on social media: Instagram Instagram.com/morganharpernichols Twitter: twitter.com/morganhnichols Pinterest: pinterest.com/morganharpernichols YouTube: youtube.com/morganharpernichols TikTok: tiktok.com/@morganharpernichols Facebook: facebook.com/morganharpernichols

No matter where your mind or your heart is right now, within your body, there is still room to exhale. Exhale knowing that this exact moment, you are free to be still and not do a single thing. Even if it's just for a moment, you are free to simply be. And I recognize that it might not seem like enough. And in a sense, this is true, because breathing does not change the nature of the unknowns that surround you. But taking the time to mindfully inhale and exhale is a slow, yet meaningful way of coming down from anxiety into remembering the ground beneath your feet. The ground beneath your feet may not feel as steady as you want it to be. And there is nothing wrong with addressing the sense of shakiness that you may feel. But even here, may you never take for granted even the smallest glimpse of steadiness. And may you continue to have gratitude for the smallest signs of progress. Again, in the moment, it may not feel like very much. At the very same time: you are free to breathe deep and trust that there is still more ahead of you beyond what you can see. When you find that that is hard to believe, slow down, and remember the ground beneath your feet. For it is right here on the ground where we are reminded that we are not able to escape the reality and the weight of gravity. And at the same time, we are here and we are connected. We can't always see how but we are connected. When the ground shakes, it will shake for all of us, and we will all be reminded that we must trust. We must trust beyond what is seen. And we must trust that it matters to take a mindful moment, even in attention, even in the chaos to breathe. Journal: How has your breathing been over the past 24 hours? Is there anything you'd like to change? How you can support this podcast: Leave a review in the Apple Podcasts App! Download my app "Storyteller" for daily messages, wallpapers, and FREE push notifications: http://onelink.to/stapp My shop: http://garden24.co How you can connect on social media: Instagram Instagram.com/morganharpernichols Twitter: twitter.com/morganhnichols Pinterest: pinterest.com/morganharpernichols YouTube: youtube.com/morganharpernichols TikTok: tiktok.com/@morganharpernichols Facebook: facebook.com/morganharpernichols

When we listen to the sound of the rain, we do not know the exact moment that each drop will come and go. We know that the rain will fall where it needs to fall, but we have to wait. Sometimes the wait leaves us restless, and can even feel painful. This is especially true when you have worked so hard to keep breathing deep, and to keep pursuing peace amidst the uncertainty. And then there you are, once again, waiting for the rain storm to end. When you are in that place, and it seems like the clouds are heavy and stuck in place, let it be grace that reminds you: you are not weak when you are feeling the heaviness of it all. The unknowns that you are facing today are no small unknowns. It takes community, courage, and the radical gift of love to be able to work through this as we wait for the clouds to move from above. So if you feel the fragility of it all and the ache for resolve within your bones, just remember you are not alone. And you are free to travel through this hour by hour, step by step, and breath by breath. This too is a sign of progress - embodied hope for all that lies beyond the rain. Yes, the storm clouds have a way of illuminating the shadows of things. And this is also true: even here you are free to trust beyond what is seen. Close your eyes and remember the space above the clouds. Remember the open blue sky that goes for miles and miles and miles. You will not always feel this way. Life awaits beyond the rain. Journal: What do you hope for beyond the rain? How you can support this podcast: Leave a review in the Apple Podcasts App! Download my app "Storyteller" for daily messages, wallpapers, and FREE push notifications: http://onelink.to/stapp My shop: http://garden24.co How you can connect on social media: Instagram Instagram.com/morganharpernichols Twitter: twitter.com/morganhnichols Pinterest: pinterest.com/morganharpernichols YouTube: youtube.com/morganharpernichols TikTok: tiktok.com/@morganharpernichols Facebook: facebook.com/morganharpernichols

Notice the ground beneath your feet holding you up when you thought you would sink. Notice the trees and the woods climbing high around you, and how even when they bear no leaves, morning light still pours through. Perhaps when you start to become aware of all the little places where light gets through, you will start to notice how, amidst the brokenness, here's still more to life and more to you. And maybe in the unknown, hope will not always look like hope. Maybe you thought it would be the message you are waiting for finally appearing on your screen that will lead to the possibility of something that could be. Perhaps you thought they would say, okay, I've changed my mind. I see where you're coming from. As you let go of what you thought hope might look like in this season, I hope you continue to experience hope right here where you are. Even if you have to go without the ‘aha!’ moment that you were hoping for. I hope you can remember that the privilege to breathe another breath is an act of hope all on its own. Take time for your rest, and come back - ready to do the good and faithful work that you have been called to do in this life. For this, too, is an act of hope. Even if you feel like the work you're doing right now is meaningless or somehow not as important or valuable as what others are doing, the ground is still steady beneath your feet. There is still room to learn to trust that faithfulness still matters here, even if you can't see it yet. Keep taking honest and hopeful steps. Keep facing the coming horizon with a posture of what could be. Keep breathing with humble anticipation that grace will continue to find me and you no matter what we end up traveling through. Carry on with the belief that we can still know peace, even when the trees have lost their leaves. Right here in the middle of it all the ground holds up, and we will not lose hope. Journal: Where are you finding hope today? How you can support this podcast: Leave a review in the Apple Podcasts App! Download my app "Storyteller" for daily messages, wallpapers, and FREE push notifications: http://onelink.to/stapp My shop: http://garden24.co How you can connect on social media: Instagram Instagram.com/morganharpernichols Twitter: twitter.com/morganhnichols Pinterest: pinterest.com/morganharpernichols YouTube: youtube.com/morganharpernichols TikTok: tiktok.com/@morganharpernichols Facebook: facebook.com/morganharpernichols

I cannot tell you what lies ahead. But I can tell you: you will grow. I can tell you: there is no shame in feeling anxious about all you do not know. Your ability to keep going each day is a sign of courage all on its own. I know that peace feels far away, as you tried to make sense of all of the change. And I just hope you can remember this: you do not have to make sense of it all in order to be worthy of peace. You are worthy of the practice of peace, even here in the uncertainty. You are free to take long, intentional inhales. You are free to take long, intentional exhales, trusting that even here in the gaps, this is a part of the story you will tell. This is an act of learning how to be strong and gentle all at once. This moment right here is an opportunity to be the one who keeps breathing in the unknown, knowing that this too is an act of bravery. Yes, learning to breathe in times like these is no small feat. Yes, you are doing brave things, even when it does not feel that way. So if you feel a little anxious, it's okay. It is not too late to work your way back to this present moment where you can be reminded that breathing is a miraculous thing. Breathing is a sign of strength. Breathing is the way that you can rest as you prepare for what comes next. There are so many things you do not know, and this is also true: you will still learn and grow as you go. And the best way to keep going is to learn to travel at a mindful pace, where you are reminded with every step and every breath, you are wrapped in endless grace. Journal: Where are you finding grace amidst the anxiousness? How you can support this podcast: Leave a review in the Apple Podcasts App! Download my app "Storyteller" for daily messages, wallpapers, and FREE push notifications: http://onelink.to/stapp My shop: http://garden24.co How you can connect on social media: Instagram Instagram.com/morganharpernichols Twitter: twitter.com/morganhnichols Pinterest: pinterest.com/morganharpernichols YouTube: youtube.com/morganharpernichols TikTok: tiktok.com/@morganharpernichols Facebook: facebook.com/morganharpernichols

It's hard for the mind to learn to trust. The mind is looking for answers. The mind is looking for the end of the story. The mind wants certainty. And at the very same time to humans - the mind is a mystery. There's so much that we're still learning about the space between our ears. And yet that very same space for many of us is stuck on trying to figure it all out. I find this paradox to be a little hilarious, and also comforting. Comforting because no matter how much I try to know, there will always be something I don't know. And it's comforting because I know I'm not alone. Even though no one else in the world has shared my exact same thoughts, and no one else in the world has lived my exact lived experience, I know this to be true: we share in the unknown, together. We are joined there - learning to embrace the mystery - one day, one moment at a time. There is no way of knowing how all of this plays out. We may have our predictions, but the next few days and next few weeks are largely unknown. But again and again, we will find that the more we learn to say, I don't know, and the more we're able to be open about how we are facing uncertainty, the more we will realize that we are not alone. And in that unknowingness we can work together. And in all of the restlessness and anxiousness and fear and anger that rises from not knowing - we can still look out for one another individually, and also collectively. Acknowledging and accepting what we do not know creates room for humility. Humility that keeps us grounded. Humility that challenges the sensationalized and pulls us back into the present moment. If you feel overwhelmed about all that is to come - if you feel overwhelmed about all you cannot control - take a deep breath and remember: that you are still whole, despite all you do not know. Journal: How can uncertainty bring you to a place of humility? How you can support this podcast: Leave a review in the Apple Podcasts App! Download my app "Storyteller" for daily messages, wallpapers, and FREE push notifications: http://onelink.to/stapp My shop: http://garden24.co How you can connect on social media: Instagram Instagram.com/morganharpernichols Twitter: twitter.com/morganhnichols Pinterest: pinterest.com/morganharpernichols YouTube: youtube.com/morganharpernichols TikTok: tiktok.com/@morganharpernichols Facebook: facebook.com/morganharpernichols

There is no way to get a bird's eye view of everything happening in our lives. There's no way to rise up to the clouds and look down on the maze of our lives to get a full understanding of what's going on right now. And this is also true: we do not have to know how everything plays out before we can take action. And not just any action - but action that brings us and pulls us in to the present moment - where we can be reminded that there is work to be done right here. And when I say work to be done, I don't mean just the dishes in the sink, and the bills that need to be paid. That is absolutely a part of it. But there's also work to be done within. There's also room in the present moment to ask ourselves, when was the last time I allowed my heart to soften into joy over the simplest thing? When was the last time I allowed my body to engage in full laughter over the most seemingly silly thing? When was the last time I exhaled, I love you! I love this! I love this space! I love where I am! I love everything about this meal that I'm eating right now!? Right now, what is beautiful, what is right? What is good? What is true about right now? For whatever is happening right in front of you, right within you, is something that you could never, ever have from that bird's eye view. Yes, it would probably be pretty informative, to see your life unfold from afar. And at the very same time, you would not be experiencing the fullness of where you are. May today be the day you trust that each of your available senses have something to show you about this present moment. Maybe you will find that this space that you're in is enough. It doesn't mean that you will always be here. It doesn't mean that you will always be in this state. But right here, right now, it's okay to just be here. Right here on the ground, embracing whatever lesson today brings. Journal: When was the last time you experienced full body joy? How you can support this podcast: Leave a review in the Apple Podcasts App! Download my app "Storyteller" for daily messages, wallpapers, and FREE push notifications: http://onelink.to/stapp My shop: http://garden24.co How you can connect on social media: Instagram Instagram.com/morganharpernichols Twitter: twitter.com/morganhnichols Pinterest: pinterest.com/morganharpernichols YouTube: youtube.com/morganharpernichols TikTok: tiktok.com/@morganharpernichols Facebook: facebook.com/morganharpernichols

If ever you feel stuck in your own head, circling through the same thoughts over and over again, take a deep breath, loosen your shoulders, relax your jaw. Let your body itself remind you, it's okay to just be present here. You do not have to sort through everything in your mind right now. Yes, there is a lot on your plate. But it also might not be humanly possible to work through it all today. Other people may have expectations of you, and there will be times where someone really does need what you have to contribute. And at the very same time, this is true: you will not be able to give on empty. No matter how busy your schedule is today, I hope you're able to find a way to at least spend a few moments away from everyone else in the wilderness to collect your thoughts and come back. And if reading these very words is a part of that, I am so glad that you are here. In an ever busy world, this is no easy feat. And here you are taking time to slow down and breathe. Even when you still have things left on your to-do list. Even when you still have deadlines that you need to meet and projects you need to complete. Right here, right now you are taking the time and it matters. And when you are at the slower pace, notice how your heart feels and be gentle with whatever comes up. Whether you feel shame or guilt rising up from a past that made you feel like you were not worthy of rest fear or anxiousness or restlessness because of what you might be missing, or what long list of things might be piling up when you're not constantly working, or what emails might be coming in when you're not looking… Whatever comes up, be gentle with yourself. Whatever happens today, be gentle with yourself. The nature of the world that you and I are living in right now is incredibly demanding. There are many things that call for immediate action. At the same time, you can only give what you can give and you cannot give if you are empty. So give your energy where you need to give energy, and rest where you need to rest. Some of the most energetic, well known musical compositions ever composed have notations in them called “rests.” Because the composer knows, oftentimes intuitively, that even when you have planned and practiced and prepared for this moment of performance, you will only make it so far without taking a moment to breathe. When your mind is racing. give yourself permission to rest. Give yourself permission to rest, knowing that taking time to rest doesn’t mean you’ll wake up with the answers for everything, but it can serve as a bridge from overthinking into peace. Journal: When was the last time you took intentional time to rest? And how did that make you feel? How you can support this podcast: Leave a review in the Apple Podcasts App! Download my app "Storyteller" for daily messages, wallpapers, and FREE push notifications: http://onelink.to/stapp My shop: http://garden24.co How you can connect on social media: Instagram Instagram.com/morganharpernichols Twitter: twitter.com/morganhnichols Pinterest: pinterest.com/morganharpernichols YouTube: youtube.com/morganharpernichols TikTok: tiktok.com/@morganharpernichols Facebook: facebook.com/morganharpernichols

One thing that you and I have in common with trees is that beneath the surface, far beyond what we can see, at the root, we are connected. One thing we don't have in common with trees is that unlike the big trunks of the big oaks, we are free to move about. We are free to roam the earth, however we choose. However, as beneficial as this can be, sometimes that freedom - that ability to just get up and go - also causes us to feel more alone. Have you ever had that feeling of getting up and going somewhere new? Somewhere you've never been - and as you go out onto the open road or as you hop on the plane, there's this sense of renewal of starting over? And then as the hours, days, weeks, or even years go by - we find that that feeling of newness is not sustainable. And as much as going somewhere new awakened something in us, we realize that maybe it's not just the act of going somewhere new that sets us free and makes us feel like we finally belong in the world. Now, there certainly are new places and spaces that definitely make us feel this way. But oftentimes, it's when we settle into that place, and when that place becomes home, and we feel grounded - that suddenly we can take that breath of fresh air. We put down roots, as the old phrase says. And today, I just want to remind you that if there's something in your life that is calling you to put down roots and to stay grounded, it is okay. There are times in life where you must travel and go forth and explore something new. And there are also times where you can dig your heels into the soil right beneath you. In a busy world, it can be hard to remember this. But there is no shame in seasons of stillness. Sometimes we have to stay in places a little longer than we expected. But in the same way that trees stretch upward toward the light, we can trust that we are still directed. This doesn't mean that we need to stay in places or situations where we are not safe. There is no shame and it is absolutely necessary that we seek help if we are not safe in any way. What I'm talking about here are those places where things are just okay. They're not great. They're not exciting. We're tired of the lull, the boredom of driving through, passing by the same places, the same streets, every day. It's in those moments, we can look to the nearest tree and let that tree remind us: we're not alone in our stillness. For whatever is calling us to stay here right now for a little while - we're not the only ones on that path. Rooted and grounded, we can still grow strong and steady here. Rooted and grounded, our leaves can still blow gently in the morning wind, and our limbs can still stretch upward toward the light. How you can support this podcast: Leave a review in the Apple Podcasts App! Download my app "Storyteller" for daily messages, wallpapers, and FREE push notifications: http://onelink.to/stapp My shop: http://garden24.co How you can connect on social media: Instagram Instagram.com/morganharpernichols Twitter: twitter.com/morganhnichols Pinterest: pinterest.com/morganharpernichols YouTube: youtube.com/morganharpernichols TikTok: tiktok.com/@morganharpernichols Facebook: facebook.com/morganharpernichols

How you can support this podcast: Leave a review in the Apple Podcasts App! Download my app "Storyteller" for daily messages, wallpapers, and FREE push notifications: http://onelink.to/stapp My shop: http://garden24.co How you can connect on social media: Instagram Instagram.com/morganharpernichols Twitter: twitter.com/morganhnichols Pinterest: pinterest.com/morganharpernichols YouTube: youtube.com/morganharpernichols TikTok: tiktok.com/@morganharpernichols Facebook: facebook.com/morganharpernichols

I hope you know it is okay if sometimes starting over looks like goodbye. I hope you know that leaving the familiar behind does not mean the end of a beautiful life. Yes, things will be different. And you will be different too. You will notice the gaps in things and you will also notice where light gets through. And you will find that all along, there was more to you. Even though you couldn't see it back then, you were overcoming what seemed impossible, proving you were more than where you had been. Every single day, you were learning the art of surrender. You were learning to let go where you needed to let go. You are accepting that the soil needed to be broken open so seeds could be planted and flowers could grow. You are free to start over. You are free to begin again. You are free to step into the light, trusting you are more than where you have been. Through the years you will see relationships change, and some places will never be the same, and all at once, new beginnings will still call your name. For in this life, you will experience what it means to fall apart and be undone. And you will also wake up from the longest nights to a bold, new morning sun, reminding you once again: you are more than where you have been. Trust, even though letting go means leaving old things behind. You will find in time what truly matters will remain. You will find in time a new beginning is calling your name. As we enter into a new week, it is clear that we are coming toward the end of the year. A lot of tension, a lot of pain, hurt, loss, uncertainty and even then: the sun keeps rising. Even then, there are slivers of hope on the horizon. Let us stay rested. Let us stay connected. Let us continue to remind one another that new beginnings are still possible. We do not have to be afraid of letting go. We do not have to be afraid of facing these unknowns, because we know that we are not facing them alone. Journal: What feels like a beginning in your life right now? More about inspiration! https://www.britannica.com/science/inspiration-respiratory-system How to support this podcast: Leave a review in the Apple Podcasts App! Download my app "Storyteller" for daily messages, wallpapers, and FREE push notifications: http://onelink.to/stapp My shop: http://garden24.co How to connect on social media: Instagram Instagram.com/morganharpernichols Twitter: twitter.com/morganhnichols Pinterest: pinterest.com/morganharpernichols YouTube: youtube.com/morganharpernichols TikTok: tiktok.com/@morganharpernichols Facebook: facebook.com/morganharpernichols

If ever you have a moment where you feel a little uninspired, take a moment to think about what inspiration means to you. One of the ways that Merriam Webster defines the word inspired is outstanding or brilliant. And while I do agree that those are qualities of inspiration, I have recently learned that the word inspiration also has to do with our respiratory system. Now, I don't know a lot about the science and I can link you to some people who are much smarter than me in the show notes, but one thing that I do know is that the word inspiration also has to do with the word inhale.  Inhale, inspire. Every day, we take in breaths. And I like to think about being inspired in the sense of taking in a breath. What are you taking in? Yes, you may take in moments that just actually change your life, and you have to stop what you're doing and write about it or sing about it or paint about it. But in reality, when it comes to the breath that you're breathing every single day, it's probably a lot more boring. Inspiration, a lot like life, can be dreadfully ordinary. You have been breathing in, over and over in your life and yet, you can't even remember most of those breaths. And yet, it is essential to life. So when you feel uninspired, remember that you are inspiring every single day. You are taking in moment after moment that you may never even remember. And yet, they are all a part of your life. A life that is filled with possibility. A life that is filled with creativity and new ideas. All you have to do is focus on taking it all in. Inspiration is not about finding the right words, finding the best words, finding the most brilliant color palette. Inspiration is about learning to be present right here, where you are. Taking notes without worrying how deep or profound they might sound. Allowing yourself to be present right now, trusting that whatever grand thing is meant to find you will find you in time. There is definitely a mysterious component to creativity, or we get these ideas and it seems like they just came out of nowhere. But so much of what we do, even if we're not writers or artists, has to do with being present and being available. Being in tune to what's going on around us. That is where the inspiration comes. So if you are feeling uninspired today, it's okay, because you are actively a part of the act of inspiration anyway. Trust that some of the most beautiful, meaningful things in life are going to take time to process, and your job is to be present - fully present - in this moment right now. Journal: Take in a long inhale and then exhale and then ask yourself: when you were inhaling, what did you smell? What do you hear? What do you see? How to support this podcast: Leave a review in the Apple Podcasts App! Download my app "Storyteller" for daily messages, wallpapers, and FREE push notifications: http://onelink.to/stapp My shop: http://garden24.co How to connect on social media: Instagram Instagram.com/morganharpernichols Twitter: twitter.com/morganhnichols Pinterest: pinterest.com/morganharpernichols YouTube: youtube.com/morganharpernichols TikTok: tiktok.com/@morganharpernichols Facebook: facebook.com/morganharpernichols

To kind of recap on what is a slightly longer episode than normal - the first way to rest is to literally sleep, or ask yourself questions about sleep. Seek help as to how you can get more sleep. The second is thinking about what you can add to your day that makes you look forward to resting a bit more, you know, something just out of the ordinary, it doesn't have to be anything extreme. The third is that letting go, that subtraction. What can you take out of your routine? What can you move or shift? And what does that say about creating more space for rest? Journal: Do you feel like you were able to cultivate a sense of rest this past week? What can you change for next week? How you can support this podcast: Leave a review in the Apple Podcasts App! Download my app "Storyteller" for daily messages, wallpapers, and FREE push notifications: http://onelink.to/stapp My shop: http://garden24.co How you can connect on social media: Instagram Instagram.com/morganharpernichols Twitter: twitter.com/morganhnichols Pinterest: pinterest.com/morganharpernichols YouTube: youtube.com/morganharpernichols TikTok: tiktok.com/@morganharpernichols Facebook: facebook.com/morganharpernichols

There are times in life where we need to stay, and there are times where we need to go. And I hope that when it's time to go, firstly, you find peace. I also hope you find gratitude for this new, wide open space that you now have to breathe. Yes, you are stepping into new unknowns. You are stepping into a territory that you have never been before. And even though you feel that hint of courage rising up within you, sometimes the fear screams all too loud. Sometimes the doubt that tells you you should be further along by now is the only thing you can hear as you travel the desert on tired feet. I hope in that space, you feel free to just be. To trust that there is no humanly way possible to make sense of every little thing between where you've been and where you hope to someday be. You are allowed to see this gap as space to roam free. This is a unique place in your story. Trust it can still be beautiful. Trust it can still be meaningful, if you dare to look a little closer. Author Ronita Weems once said. Time outs are for the precious little souls that need a period of time to compose themselves, gather their thoughts, calm down, think about what they are doing, and find their way back into the give and take of intimacy. Let this space in-between be the space that you gravitate toward the grace that allows you to slow down and just be. Gather your thoughts and just be. You do not have to be in a rush to get to the next thing. Observe your surroundings closely and fully take in whatever lesson you need to take in right now. Write it all down. You might not remember moments like this decades from now. But the wisdom you are gathering right here matters more than you know. And years from now, you will look back and you will see how you have grown. You will be grateful that you chose to surrender and let go. Thank you for listening. And before we go, I would like to leave you with a question. You are free to take this question and write about it in your journal or just simply think about it throughout the day. Journal: When was the last time you felt like you were in-between two seasons? What was the biggest lesson you learned? How to support this podcast: Leave a review in the Apple Podcasts App! Download my app "Storyteller" for daily messages, wallpapers, and FREE push notifications: http://onelink.to/stapp My shop: http://garden24.co How to connect on social media: Instagram Instagram.com/morganharpernichols Twitter: twitter.com/morganhnichols Pinterest: pinterest.com/morganharpernichols YouTube: youtube.com/morganharpernichols TikTok: tiktok.com/@morganharpernichols Facebook: facebook.com/morganharpernichols

I am not convinced that unity is a matter of setting our differences aside. I think unity is a matter of bringing the raw ingredients of our differences to the kitchen table. And at that kitchen table, we will look at all of our ingredients, and we will ask each other this question: What ingredients do we need to keep so that everyone can eat? One thing we have in common is that we all need to eat. We all need nourishment, so that we can continue to be. And that nourishment comes through unity, realizing that we are joined together, hungry souls seeking to be whole on a journey. Storytellers. At a distance, it may seem that our differences will keep you from knowing me and me from knowing you. But around the kitchen table, the message of our collective need gets through: we need to eat.  And in order to eat, we need each other: the spices and the sauces and the songs of our grandmothers and the things that we are not quite sure we're allowed to say out loud. Let us come around, let the water boil on the stove. Let us throw in and stir and never stop until everyone is fed. This is unity. This is harvest. And in the word of the great poet Gwendolyn Brooks, We are each other's harvest. We are each other's business, we are each other's magnitude and bond. Unity is not setting our differences aside. Unity is bringing the raw ingredients of our differences right to the kitchen table, turning on the stove, and not leaving until everyone is fed. So may you carry on today with the awareness of the space that we desperately need to gather and eat. Thank you for listening. And before we go, I would like to leave you with a question. You are free to take this question and write about it in your journal or just simply think about it throughout the day. Journal: How can you cultivate unity today, even from a distance? How to support this podcast: Leave a review in the Apple Podcasts App! Download my app "Storyteller" for daily messages, wallpapers, and FREE push notifications: http://onelink.to/stapp My shop: http://garden24.co How to connect on social media: Instagram Instagram.com/morganharpernichols Twitter: twitter.com/morganhnichols Pinterest: pinterest.com/morganharpernichols YouTube: youtube.com/morganharpernichols TikTok: tiktok.com/@morganharpernichols Facebook: facebook.com/morganharpernichols

The future is unknown, and there are so many ways tomorrow could go. But what if, instead of worrying about all that could go wrong, you focused on the beautiful truth that: all along, you have had this moment, right here, to focus on one thing at a time, one conversation at a time, one project at a time, one hour at a time, one breath at a time? Whatever it is pushing you to think that you have to sort it all out at once, does not have a final say on how things go today. Despite all of the possibilities of how things could go terribly wrong, all along, this has been true: you have had this very moment to give energy to what's right in front of you. In the moment, you might feel like you are not doing enough, and the weight of all that you cannot solve may wear on your heart too much. And at the very same time, no matter how crowded the mind, there is rich soil beneath your feet, reminding you amidst the chaos, you are still free to sow seeds. You are free to sow seeds of faithfulness, and peace right here where you are. Trust: the wisdom your heart is longing to know will find you long and slow. Wisdom will find you through listening and through a humble lifelong commitment of choosing to be present right here where you are. Even when it seems like the world is spinning in 1000 different directions at once, tomorrow will arrive when it is meant to arrive. Give your all to being here right now. And maybe in the end, you will find that you did not have to travel somewhere far off into some yet to be known distance to sow faithful seeds. You ended up experiencing growth in unlikely ways. The soil was surprisingly rich beneath your feet. And someday, you might go on beyond this place. You might move to other things. You might leave this place behind you for brand new ways to grow. But may you never forget all you learned right here at the slow yet exacting pace. You still learned the ways of commitment and faithfulness, before it all fell into place. Don't give up just yet. Keep taking deep breaths, working in the garden, day by day, step by step. Journal: After listening to this, what is the next step you will take? How to support this podcast: Leave a review in the Apple Podcasts App! Download my app "Storyteller" for daily messages, wallpapers, and FREE push notifications: http://onelink.to/stapp My shop: http://garden24.co How to connect on social media: Instagram Instagram.com/morganharpernichols Twitter: twitter.com/morganhnichols Pinterest: pinterest.com/morganharpernichols YouTube: youtube.com/morganharpernichols TikTok: tiktok.com/@morganharpernichols Facebook: facebook.com/morganharpernichols

First things first. If you are experiencing a lack of focus, there is no shame. There is no judgment. It's okay. And it happens to everyone. Before you focus on getting your focus back, allow yourself the permission to remember that there are many factors as to why you could be losing focus. Factors that don't make you weak, or incapable if you can't figure it out right away, if you can't stay focused 100% of the day. Secondly, if you find yourself distracted, off the course, that you feel you're supposed to be traveling, just remember that that awareness, even in a space of distraction and lack of focus, is still a sign of aliveness. You're still here. You're still in this thing. Even when it feels like you have been swept away by a heavy gush of wind, there is still room within for slow and steady growth. Remember, you are still here, and there is still a way back. Number three: because there are so many factors as to why one might lose focus, there are many ways back into focus. Sometimes a lack of focus represents a lack of passion. Maybe you're no longer interested in the things that you're doing. Boredom finds you, redundancy finds you, and your mind wanders. And if you find yourself in that place, remember that sometimes life is repetitive. Life is boring. Life is dreadfully ordinary. And that's okay. We don't always have to be passionate every day. We're allowed to change course, we're allowed to change our minds, we are allowed to wonder and be curious in this life. You may have been lectured in school and made to feel as though if you lose focus, that somehow means that you're worth less, or you're not good enough. But in reality, we are all wired so differently and beautifully. And even if you sat in that classroom in that setting every single day, that person does not know you well enough to determine the unique way that you learn and find focus. There is always room to find your way back into focus again, without judgment. And finally, there is no shame in seeking help. If you need help coming back into focus, speak to someone who can help. You're allowed to seek professional help. If that's something that you need to do, you're allowed to spend time unpacking what it might mean that you're struggling with focusing with someone that you trust. We need each other and we need these conversations. We need to continually remind one another that there are many distractions and reasons and factors as to why focus might be difficult. But it does not make us weak. If it's something that we are actively working through, it does not make us weak. When we have moments where our minds wander off, or we're thinking about other things, it's okay. There is room to come back. There is room to come back at a gentle, mindful pace. How to support this podcast: Leave a review in the Apple Podcasts App! Download my app "Storyteller" for daily messages, wallpapers, and FREE push notifications: http://onelink.to/stapp My shop: http://garden24.co How to connect on social media: Instagram Instagram.com/morganharpernichols Twitter: twitter.com/morganhnichols Pinterest: pinterest.com/morganharpernichols YouTube: youtube.com/morganharpernichols TikTok: tiktok.com/@morganharpernichols Facebook: facebook.com/morganharpernichols

In a time of information overload, when you and I are daily presented with all that we do not know and need to know, may we remember to slow down and take deep breaths and remember the long, slow ways of wisdom. For knowledge without wisdom is a long bookshelf that goes on for miles and miles, filled with books that we have read from cover to cover, binds worn, pages highlighted, and yet, no action has ever been taken. Wisdom, on the other hand, is the way of slow learning - learning that propels us to move into action. And if we are ever desiring to grow, we must remember that wisdom comes slow. We can only take in so much information at a time. We can only give so many more tasks to our already overcrowded minds. In the same way that we do not expect ourselves to rush into action immediately after eating a meal, we must continue to remind ourselves and one another that we are allowed to take time to process all that we are taking in. For again and again, every single day, we will be reminded of all we have yet to know. All of the ways where we still have a long way to go. The only way to travel through this with grace is realizing that we must approach knowledge with a wise, mindful pace. It will not make us weak. If it takes time to process things this week, we are allowed to say, “I need some time,” without fearing what others might think. We are allowed to take time to breathe even in the face of uncertainty. As psycologist and Holocaust survivor Viktor Frankl once said: Between stimulus and response, there is a space. And that space lies our freedom and our power to choose our response. If you don't know what to do with the space, after taking all of this information in, breathe. Simply breathe. Inhale and exhale. You do not have to say or do a single thing. This is a part of the long, slow way of wisdom, a posture of listening, that will be cultivated over the course of your lifetime. This is a journey, and you're still learning. And you're still free to take this one day at a time. Journal: If you experience information overload, what time of day does this usually occur?  What changes can you practice making? How to support this podcast: Leave a review in the Apple Podcasts App! Download my app "Storyteller" for daily messages, wallpapers, and FREE push notifications: http://onelink.to/stapp My shop: http://garden24.co How to connect on social media: Instagram Instagram.com/morganharpernichols Twitter: twitter.com/morganhnichols Pinterest: pinterest.com/morganharpernichols YouTube: youtube.com/morganharpernichols TikTok: tiktok.com/@morganharpernichols Facebook: facebook.com/morganharpernichols

May today be the day you embrace authenticity, an act of being truly honest with yourself. May you honor your capacity? Say yes when you need to say yes and say no when you need to say no. Make bold, courageous choices, knowing that even in the unknowns, no matter what the results will be, you will learn and grow either way. For far beneath the layers of worry and doubt, grace is woven throughout every aspect of your life. Grace is unmerited favor. That does not make the path easier, but it does remind you: no matter where you have been, you are free to try again. No matter the times you have been afraid to make a decision, afraid to take up space, you are free to keep going, anyway. Let your next exhale remind you to release any hint at perfection that keeps you from authenticity. And when you choose authenticity over perfection, you will start to find meaningful connections in unexpected places. Maybe you won't fit in with everyone, and you won't be invited everywhere. But you will be someone who knows in the well of their soul that even as you are redefining success in progress, you are still whole. Not always popular. Not always buzzworthy. But whole. And in the years to come, you will see what truly matters is the way you showed up with honesty, love and authenticity, saying all of the words that you truly mean to say. Not keeping the big feelings at bay, allowing yourself to be fully engaged with life as it is right now. This is the way you grow. This is the way you learn to breathe as you wait for the harvest. Love will still find you, wisdom will still find you. Freedom and sunshine will find you too. Taking time to get to know the real you will absolutely take a lifetime. But day by day, you will find who you are beneath the layers is truly worth knowing. And it is always worth it to keep growing from a place of honesty and grace. Journal: Do you think people in your generation struggle with authenticity? If so, why? How to support this podcast: Leave a review in the Apple Podcasts App! Download my app "Storyteller" for daily messages, wallpapers, and FREE push notifications: http://onelink.to/stapp My shop: http://garden24.co How to connect on social media: Instagram Instagram.com/morganharpernichols Twitter: twitter.com/morganhnichols Pinterest: pinterest.com/morganharpernichols YouTube: youtube.com/morganharpernichols TikTok: tiktok.com/@morganharpernichols Facebook: facebook.com/morganharpernichols

Just in case no one has told you lately: you are not taking up too much space. You might be too much for some, but those people will not determine who you will become. May you never allow powerful people to make you feel small. You were made to do bold things. You were meant to give your all. There will be critics and cynics, but I hope they do not silence you because you were meant to use your voice, even if it takes years to find the courage. Let this be your bold, honest choice. It is not too late for you to unlearn the lies that try to define you. It's not too late for you to acknowledge and make room to heal from those conversations from long ago. It doesn't make you weak if it still bothers you. There's still time to work through it with grace. Of course, there is such a thing as constructive criticism. And this is also true: a  lot of the noise you're hearing is coming from someone else's insecurities and fears, and it has nothing to do with you. It does not make you weak to say, yes, I have been hurt by their words. Because no matter how much you took their words to heart, it does not determine your worth. It might take time to figure out how to tell your story, where to use your voice, and what it looks like for you to be yourself in this world. But I promise you, it's worth the journey. It's worth the daily undoing of all the things you feel like you should be in exchange for a bold and brave pursuit of who you truly are beneath all the layers. No, you are not taking up too much space. You may not be perfect or enough for everyone. But there is still room for you to be who you were meant to be, unapologetically. You were made to do great things. You were meant to shine the light that is still burning within you. From the time you were born, you were made to come forth through fire light, gold and bold, honest waves. And remember: the greatness that runs within you - it can be subtle. It isn't only found under spotlights or on a stage. It is woven into the layers of your very being, no matter your story, your journey or your age. You do not have to be perfect to be whole. A bold, radiant soul wrapped in grace. You are free to be who you were meant to be, no matter what others say or think. No, you are not taking up too much space. Journal: Where in your life can you be a little bit more bold than you were yesterday? How to support this podcast: Leave a review in the Apple Podcasts App! Download my app "Storyteller" for daily messages, wallpapers, and FREE push notifications: http://onelink.to/stapp My shop: http://garden24.co How to connect on social media: Instagram Instagram.com/morganharpernichols Twitter: twitter.com/morganhnichols Pinterest: pinterest.com/morganharpernichols YouTube: youtube.com/morganharpernichols TikTok: tiktok.com/@morganharpernichols Facebook: facebook.com/morganharpernichols

Today's piece is called sonder. It is inspired by John Koenig’s definition of the word sonder, who created this word for his Dictionary of obscure sorrows. I will be reading that definition before I begin the piece. Sonder: a noun. the realization that each random passerby is living a life as vivid and complex as your own—populated with their own ambitions, friends, routines, worries and inherited craziness—an epic story that continues invisibly around you like an anthill sprawling deep underground, with elaborate passageways to thousands of other lives that you’ll never know existed, in which you might appear only once, as an extra sipping coffee in the background, as a blur of traffic passing on the highway, as a lighted window at dusk. When you start to feel like you will never be enough, perhaps this moment is enough to breathe, to dream. And not only for yourself or your family, but also for strangers, imagining what good things they might do 10 minutes from now, 10 years from now, imagining the very best for them. Even if you never get a close look at their faces. Take a simple mindful moment for them. Even when you feel you will never be enough, keep your heart open to love. Let whatever is right, whatever is true, be enough to carry you through when you start to feel you will never be enough. H. Jackson Brown Jr. once said: Remember that everyone you meet, is afraid of something, loves something and has lost something. It is far too easy to draw conclusions based on how little we know of someone. We catch glimpses of someone's story and without even trying, we write their ending. Imagination is powerful, and can be a great force for good. What if we imagined the best possible scenario? It is so easy to think about what could go wrong or what we can't get right. But what if we continue to remember: everyone else's story is just as complex as our own. There are people all around the world, whom we have never even come in contact with that share in our grief, our joy, and all of the moments in between. Let it be a beautiful moment when we start to realize that someone else's suffering, or even their joy is not as far away from us as we may think. And may we always keep in mind that beautiful doesn't mean perfection, niceness, or easiness. Beautiful is about wholeness, groundedness, all of the joys and sufferings being held together. Us holding together. realizing we are not alone. Journal: Think of the last person you saw. What is the kind of thing that you can say about them? How to support this podcast: Leave a review in the Apple Podcasts App! Download my app "Storyteller" for daily messages, wallpapers, and FREE push notifications: http://onelink.to/stapp My shop: http://garden24.co How to connect on social media: Instagram Instagram.com/morganharpernichols Twitter: twitter.com/morganhnichols Pinterest: pinterest.com/morganharpernichols YouTube: youtube.com/morganharpernichols TikTok: tiktok.com/@morganharpernichols Facebook: facebook.com/morganharpernichols

You never know what will happen when you let go. When you finally let go of the fear that you won't be enough, when you finally start to wonder if maybe, this season can still be meaningful, even if it's completely different than what you thought it would be. Yes, your heart will miss what was. You may find grief. You may find that you still have this anxious mind. And I hope you also find freedom. Freedom. Freedom to trust that even though letting go of what was might feel like the ultimate embodiment of emptiness and being alone, right here, you're opening up. You are being strengthened. Grace is more than enough for you here. Dare to look beyond those old fears. Say goodbye to the worries that you are not worthy, and it's too late for life to be meaningful. Let this month be the month you always remember. The month you chose to say: I never knew I had it in me. I never knew I had the strength to do this. And yet here I am. Here I am learning to come alive through the wild of letting go. Earlier this year, I thought it was over. But now, I am so grateful that I chose courage and I kept going. I may not know what tomorrow looks like. But I have found a river filled with life. I am daring to trust that I can breathe in these unknowns. I can dare to come alive. Allow yourself to be open to the very hard work of trusting you have not seen all there is to see. And there is more ahead of you. Being in these unknowns will ask a lot of you. But there is freedom within it too. To slow down and notice what's around you and how even here, light pours through. Dare to be brave today, even if it's in a small way. Find freedom in letting go. Dare to trust. There's room for courage, hope, and healing no matter what is unknown. Journal: What fear are you choosing to look beyond today? How to support this podcast: Leave a review in the Apple Podcasts App! Download my app "Storyteller" for daily messages, wallpapers, and FREE push notifications: http://onelink.to/stapp My shop: http://garden24.co How to connect on social media: Instagram Instagram.com/morganharpernichols Twitter: twitter.com/morganhnichols Pinterest: pinterest.com/morganharpernichols YouTube: youtube.com/morganharpernichols TikTok: tiktok.com/@morganharpernichols Facebook: facebook.com/morganharpernichols

In one way or another, everyone is searching for something. Everyone is searching for the rhythms and a flow, whether that's safety, security, freedom, peace -  it varies from person to person. And oftentimes, we can become so preoccupied with trying to get into our flow and pattern of life, that we forget that life is anything but predictable. We forget that no matter how much we crave what is safe and known, we have to be willing to go deeper. Whatever that looks like for us, we have to be willing to trust that even when life doesn't look like we want it to, when we make a choice to be brave by being present in whatever season we are in, we will grow. In Joan Didion 1968 collection of essays Slouching towards Bethlehem, she writes these words about leaving New York, and moving to Los Angeles after many years. She says, I was very young in New York. And at some point, the golden rhythm was broken. And I am not that young anymore. The last time I was in New York was a cold January. Many of the people I used to know there had moved. I share this bit of Didion story here because I think it is important to highlight that it is also okay, if rhythms, even the golden ones, come to an end. You are free to make peace with them. Even when you are seeing the end of them, you are free to move on even though you don't know what's ahead. There are times in life where we have to exchange golden rhythms for new ones. For some, it's leaving the city. For others, it's staying a little longer. It's hard to let go, especially when you remember what was good. Whatever letting go looks like for you right now, I just hope that you can remember that change is okay. In fact, change is more than okay. Change is an invitation, an invitation to accept that things won’t always be the same, but you can still find peace. The future is unknown, and at the same time, you will become who you were meant to be. May each of us soften our hearts to look for moments where coming alive means going beyond what is comfortable, safe, and known. May we allow ourselves to see that when we open up to the possibility of how things could change, we will grow. May we accept change as an invitation to be challenged, to be stretched, to cultivate wisdom in these new unknowns. Journal: What change are you willing to make today? How to support this podcast: Leave a review in the Apple Podcasts App! Download my app "Storyteller" for daily messages, wallpapers, and FREE push notifications: http://onelink.to/stapp My shop: http://garden24.co How to connect on social media: Instagram Instagram.com/morganharpernichols Twitter: twitter.com/morganhnichols Pinterest: pinterest.com/morganharpernichols YouTube: youtube.com/morganharpernichols TikTok: tiktok.com/@morganharpernichols Facebook: facebook.com/morganharpernichols

Whenever you start to feel the pressure to do more, and your shoulders tense up with stress, and your jaw tightens as you push your way right through your need for rest - turn your face to the nearest window, catch a glimpse of a cloud, a leaf in the wind, let everything in you soften as you notice these natural rhythms too easily forgotten. We demand so much of ourselves. We forget about the way of the trees. We forget that before flowers bloomed, they were seeds - only springing up in season, never telling us their plans or their reasons for why they grow the way they grow. And yet, when we look at them, we fully know that there is a fullness to their becoming. Unconcerned with human notions of productivity and perfection, rooted in connection, in tune with something more. Oh, how easily we forget, in our rush from one thing to the next. Despite what we have been told, we have built in rhythms of rest, and slow, beautiful progress. Slow. Slowly we grow one day at a time. We realize the wholeness of it all, and leave the pursuit of perfection behind. So when you look in the mirror, more than you focus on the imperfections and the shadows of who you wanted to be, or thought you needed to be, I hope you see a living breathing soul who is traveling courageously right here through the grit of things. This year has not been easy, and this is also true: you are a beautifully radiant example of how hope gets through. Continue to breathe right here in the middle of it all. Continue to breathe before it makes sense. Trust the imperfections will not keep you from being whole. Journal: When you were growing up, what was your relationship to the concept of perfection? How to support this podcast: Leave a review in the Apple Podcasts App! Download my app "Storyteller" for daily messages, wallpapers, and FREE push notifications: http://onelink.to/stapp My shop: http://garden24.co How to connect on social media: Instagram Instagram.com/morganharpernichols Twitter: twitter.com/morganhnichols Pinterest: pinterest.com/morganharpernichols YouTube: youtube.com/morganharpernichols TikTok: tiktok.com/@morganharpernichols Facebook: facebook.com/morganharpernichols

As hard as it is to wrap our minds around the fullness of what grace means, the beautiful thing is: we don't have to. Instead, we can look up to a sky filled with silver stars and say in this beautiful, majestic world, by grace I belong here too. We can look around and see how everyone else's lives seem to be filled with intention and forward movement, and know that our lives are filled with movement all the same. We can look at the broken pieces of our own hearts, the things that have been torn apart, and say: all by grace, I still matter. Even here, I have not been forgotten. I belong in this life just as much as anyone else. No matter how you feel today or tonight, may you know this to be true. If you happen to feel small, when you look up to the stars, I hope you know it's okay to feel that way. It's okay if you don't always feel bold or strong or great because the truth is: just like the stars, you will shine on anyway. You will matter when you are singing; you will matter when you are not. You will matter when they care, and you will matter when they don't. All together, you will matter. Under a billion silver stars, you are never too small to be great, even when you feel that way. May you find peace knowing that there will be people that never make room for you, but that does not mean there's no place for you to belong. There will be days where it is hard to engage and it's hard to stay focused and you cannot give all that you want to. But even then, those things are not a strike against you. You have not been restricted from waking up tomorrow morning and giving it another try. Every day, you have the opportunity to belong, and learn what it means to belong, over and over again. To trust that even when your circle of friends start to change and even when you move to a new city or you find yourself battling an unexplainable sense of loneliness, you are still worthy of belonging. Even if belonging looks different in this season. Even if belonging is the feeling you get when you turn your face to the midnight sky, and the stars remind you that you are free to shine. There are other people out there. There is room for new chapters to be written. There are connections waiting to be ignited that you have yet to see. Trust and believe you are free to shine on anyway. Journal: How can you live the rest of this day more intentionally? How to support this podcast: Leave a review in the Apple Podcasts App! Download my app "Storyteller" for daily messages, wallpapers, and FREE push notifications: http://onelink.to/stapp My shop: http://garden24.co How to connect on social media: Instagram Instagram.com/morganharpernichols Twitter: twitter.com/morganhnichols Pinterest: pinterest.com/morganharpernichols YouTube: youtube.com/morganharpernichols TikTok: tiktok.com/@morganharpernichols Facebook: facebook.com/morganharpernichols

How to support this podcast: Leave a review in the Apple Podcasts App! Download my app "Storyteller" for daily messages, wallpapers, and FREE push notifications: http://onelink.to/stapp My shop: http://garden24.co How to connect on social media: Instagram Instagram.com/morganharpernichols Twitter: twitter.com/morganhnichols Pinterest: pinterest.com/morganharpernichols YouTube: youtube.com/morganharpernichols TikTok: tiktok.com/@morganharpernichols Facebook: facebook.com/morganharpernichols

Seasons don't change drastically overnight. They overlap. There are moments of spring that feel like winter, moments of autumn that feel like summer. When the seasons change on the calendar, you might still be wearing clothes from the previous one. It may take a few days or weeks before things start to feel like the new season. Remember this when it comes to the seasons changing within your own life. If you have a new opportunity, it's okay if it takes time to settle into it. If you are in the season of transition, it's okay to feel an overlap with your emotions. Sometimes, the leaves turn yellow and fall to the ground while it's still warm outside. Other times it already feels like winter before they change. Allow yourself room to embrace the overlap. Embrace the seasons that don't have hard starts and stops. Even though the days on the calendar are divided into these little squares. In reality, the days actually bleed into one another. When midnight strikes, it's technically a new day. But for most places in the world, it's still dark outside. It takes several hours before the sun fills the sky with light. There's no hard start for a sunrise; it slowly fades onto the horizon line. And even within the same season, it doesn't rise at the exact time every day. So trust that so many things in life change this way. You don't have to experience drastic immediate shifts every day, to know that you are experiencing real and meaningful change. Breathe and let the season be what it needs to be. Journal: Describe the season you're in as one of nature's seasons. Does it feel like spring, winter, summer or fall? How to support this podcast: Leave a review in the Apple Podcasts App! Download my app "Storyteller" for daily messages, wallpapers, and FREE push notifications: http://onelink.to/stapp My shop: http://garden24.co How to connect on social media: Instagram Instagram.com/morganharpernichols Twitter: twitter.com/morganhnichols Pinterest: pinterest.com/morganharpernichols YouTube: youtube.com/morganharpernichols TikTok: tiktok.com/@morganharpernichols Facebook: facebook.com/morganharpernichols

Life can be fulfilling at age sixteen and also sixty. Twenty five and thirty five. Joy is timeless. No matter what's missing, you can make the most of where you are today. Of course, you will always be able to sit and wonder about things that could have gone differently. But you can also trust in this present moment that you have not missed out on what was meant for you. I know it's hard to trust when there's so much unknown. But instead of trying to make it all make sense at once, you are free to take this experience called life - color by color, tree by tree, scent by scent, relationship by relationship. You don't have to take it all in at once. Take in the newness of it all, one moment at a time, without worrying about the moments to come. And let that be enough. Breathe deep. And let this moment be enough. Let this be a place where you find peace. Exchange your overthinking for overwhelming peace that says I will be okay without knowing everything. I will still be worthy of love if I can't fix everything. I can still have a meaningful life if I'm not where I thought I'd be. Grace will still find me. Love will still find me. I can still have hope for tomorrow, despite my uncertainty. I will keep going anyway. And not trying to conquer the world. But taking it day by day, hour by hour, breath by breath. Knowing that every exhale is a sign of strength. I can be okay without knowing everything. Where you are meant to be, you will be in time. You might have to say goodbye to certain people, certain things, a certain place or certain idea of how you thought things would be. But there will still be open space to welcome new beginnings. There will still be room for you to trust and believe that you'll find love and belonging. Remember the ground beneath your feet. Remember, you belong here. No one has taken your place. You are not too far from grace. Your story might be unfolding differently than how you expected it would. But you are still being directed. Where you are meant to be, you will be in time, no matter your age or stage of life. Journal: Where is the number one place in your life where you feel like you belong? How to support this podcast: Leave a review in the Apple Podcasts App! Download my app "Storyteller" for daily messages, wallpapers, and FREE push notifications: http://onelink.to/stapp My shop: http://garden24.co How to connect on social media: Instagram Instagram.com/morganharpernichols Twitter: twitter.com/morganhnichols Pinterest: pinterest.com/morganharpernichols YouTube: youtube.com/morganharpernichols TikTok: tiktok.com/@morganharpernichols Facebook: facebook.com/morganharpernichols

No matter the connections that have been lost over the past few months or years, there is still room for new connections. Perhaps you have seen your community change. Maybe you have seen your group of friends begin to go their separate ways. Maybe you thought you found the one you would spend the rest of your life with, only to not have things work out. Even if you have had to move to a different city or a new job, the weight of a lost connection can leave you feeling isolated, forgotten, and even rejected. And the thing is: there will never be anything else like what you had. You will never meet another person who is exactly like the person you felt so connected to. But you are allowed to grieve what was, while also having hope that just because the beautiful parts of the past cannot be repeated or replaced, that does not mean you cannot have a beautiful future that will be meaningful and special in its own way. You might not bond with this new person in the same way you did with someone else. But that friendship can still be beautiful. You might not feel the same familiarity in this new city that you felt in your last city. But you can still have a meaningful, adventurous life right here. You might not see how anything could ever compare to that night, that conversation, that relationship, or that season of life. But you can still find connections here in the present moment. Yes, the present moment will look different from the past. But perhaps that can be a beautiful thing. It is okay to say I miss what was while anticipating what is to come. You can acknowledge the good and the valuable lessons that came out of the past without dwelling on the past. You can open your heart to let someone in without thinking that it will be exactly like it was before. Not all people are the same. Not all cities are the same. Not all seasons of life are the same. You are not the same. You have grown and you are changing. And you are allowed to experience beauty, love, goodness, and connection, no matter what yesterday looked like for you. Take heart, breathe deep. Allow yourself to say things will be different. And I will be okay. Journal: How can you become the kind of person you long to connect with? How to support this podcast: Leave a review in the Apple Podcasts App! Download my app "Storyteller" for daily messages, wallpapers, and FREE push notifications: http://onelink.to/stapp My shop: http://garden24.co How to connect on social media: Instagram Instagram.com/morganharpernichols Twitter: twitter.com/morganhnichols Pinterest: pinterest.com/morganharpernichols YouTube: youtube.com/morganharpernichols TikTok: tiktok.com/@morganharpernichols Facebook: facebook.com/morganharpernichols

What if your story was not only about staying on top of things, but about getting to the bottom of things? What if you actually needed unforced rhythms and slower paces to truly live through this season in a way that helped you grow? What if there are stories inside of you that are waiting to be shared? Thoughts and ideas stirring inside of you, that can only be cultivated when you're not in a rush? When we think of expressing ourselves or sharing our stories, it's normal to think of social media or sharing with a crowd of people. But this is only one kind of sharing. The stories we tell ourselves about ourselves matter too. The way we talk about our childhood, or our frustrations, or the root of our joys is much more than small talk. Human beings need stories. And yet, it's far too easy to get wrapped up in everyone else's. The stories we see on our social media feeds, the stories of our siblings or friends. Who’s further along, who's more interesting, who actually has a story worth telling? In the rush of life, it's hard to see our stories for what they actually are: a never ending circle, filled with depth, life, fullness, mystery, hope, wisdom, strength, grace, resilience, and the rush of life. Sometimes it seems like our stories are nothing more than well, I was born here, then this happened, and I went to this school, and then I was in this relationship. But oh, our stories are so much more, more than can ever be put into words. Our stories are filled with emotion. Think of a movie you've recently watched, reflect on how the characters invited you into their experiences, not from the plot summary, but through what they were feeling. Even if your life looks completely different than the characters, you felt a connection to their story. Of course, you can't see your life objectively in this way. But you're free to use your imagination - imagination that allows you to look at this season of your life, the emotions that you're currently experiencing, as if they were played out on screen. And perhaps then, you will find that no matter how boring or ordinary, it seems in the everyday, they're still feeling there. There is still a beating heart at the core. You will find that there was grit, and there was also grace. It doesn't always feel like it in the moment. Resilience is woven through your story. Even the parts of your story that aren't inspirational or easily understood. Even the parts of your story that don't seem relatable or good. Remember that the resilience in your story is found in your stories roundedness - the wholeness of it all. And yes, there are moments and maybe even entire seasons where you feel weak, incapable, and too small. And somehow through it all, you have continued to rise up, day after day after day, proving that all by grace, you have been able to go into the grit of it all and come out, stronger, wiser, more equipped to continue to become who you were meant to be. You are resilient, even if it takes some time to see. Journal: What are the first three words that come to mind when you think of your story? How to support this podcast: Leave a review in the Apple Podcasts App! Download my app "Storyteller" for daily messages, wallpapers, and FREE push notifications: http://onelink.to/stapp My shop: http://garden24.co

Sometimes we make decisions thinking we're making the safe choice. We choose paths because they seem reliable and steady. We long for stability. We long to have things in order so that we can experience peace. However, even in the best case scenarios, questions inevitably find us. Even if things are going well, we wonder, am I playing it too safe? Am I not being challenged enough? In this space, we must remember to be open and honest about what we are feeling. We must seek out places where we feel safe and free to express our doubts and fears. We don't have to feel guilty for wanting something different. It's okay to acknowledge that we feel burnt out even if we love the job. It's okay to admit that we feel distant even in a loving relationship. And here's why it's okay: Number one, feelings don't last forever. Number two, you're allowed to feel more than one thing at once. Number three, ignoring the feelings won't make them go away. Instead, they just go into the underbelly and show up in other places. Feelings are messy, and oftentimes inconvenient. This is why it makes sense that for many of us, we would rather set them aside or in some situations, avoid them altogether. But when we do choose to do the courageous work of honesty, even when it comes to our emotions, we open ourselves up to grow. Growth can feel uncomfortable, growth can feel awkward. However, growth also allows us to outgrow the restraints we've put on ourselves because of fear. Whether it's a fear of being vulnerable, appearing weak, experiencing pain or being unlovable, there is a life to be lived on the other side of that fear. A life filled with freedom - freedom to speak up, freedom to open up, freedom to be authentic without dwelling on what others might think. Addressing your hidden feelings is hard work. But when you do this, you create opportunities for a deeper, more meaningful connection. Now is the time to say goodbye to hiding parts of yourself because you fear how you will be perceived. Yes, there'll be people who are not ready for the real you. But there will also be people who are inspired by your realness. It's possible that you could share your true feelings and you hang up the phone feeling embarrassed for being vulnerable. But what if the opposite happened? What if you hung up the phone feeling relieved and at peace, knowing that it mattered that you were honest? It takes great strength to say what you need to say. But to be honest, is to be brave. Journal: Have you been straightforward lately? Why or why not? How to support this podcast: Leave a review in the Apple Podcasts App! Download my app "Storyteller" for daily messages, wallpapers, and FREE push notifications: http://onelink.to/stapp My shop: http://garden24.co

One day, you will look back on this season of your life and all of the things you made it through. You will look back with gratitude, because you will realize you were stronger than you thought you were. Even though in the moment you thought you were moving at too slow of a pace, you will find that all by grace, you were able to carry on anyway. Your story was still being written, and the valleys did not keep you from the rest of the journey that awaited you. So on those days where you feel like your progress is slow, and you feel like you are stuck where you were a year ago, slow down and count the long nights that led you here. Count the difficult conversations you worked through. Count the little things that no longer bother you. This is progress, strength. This is how you overcame. Even when there are still tears in your eyes. Even when you still have a heavy mind. The hurt you experienced that was out of your control does not have the power to keep you from being whole. Trust that you are still worthy of love. Trust: love is still greater than a fear. Working through the pain of past hurt is anything but easy. But day by day, you start to notice how the clouds are still moving, the wind is still blowing around you, the seasons are still changing. Even when the autumn leaves fall off the trees and you are forced to face the winter, you can also start to notice a little more sunlight pouring through the branches now. People change, seasons change, and your perspective changes too. You start to see where the light gets in. You start to see how to make it through. Journal: What in your life is giving you a sense of purpose? How to support this podcast: Leave a review in the Apple Podcasts App! Download my app "Storyteller" for daily messages, wallpapers, and FREE push notifications: http://onelink.to/stapp My shop: http://garden24.co How to connect on social media: Instagram Instagram.com/morganharpernichols Twitter: twitter.com/morganhnichols Pinterest: pinterest.com/morganharpernichols YouTube: youtube.com/morganharpernichols TikTok: tiktok.com/@morganharpernichols Facebook: facebook.com/morganharpernichols

Here's to the quietly strong. Here's to the one who has been working through things that you don't even have words for. Even here, you are worthy of long, slow, deep breaths, even while you are currently working through all of this. Here's to the one who is realizing that sometimes singing is a sign of strength. Sometimes letting go is a sign of strength. And your strength does not have to look like anyone else's in order for you to be strong. Sometimes strength comes with a power pose, but maybe many other times, it's just the exhale you take at the end of a memory of  something your grandmother used to say. It's realizing that even through all of the anxiousness, here you are working through it anyway. Sometimes strength is tears streaming down your face as you breathe out the words “it is well”. Strength is knowing that you're not weak if strength looks different, day by day, hour by hour, even. Let this be the season of your life where you learn to embrace the wholeness of what strength looks like. Let this be the time of your life where you chose to think nothing less of the slower days, or you chose to think nothing less of the evenings where you just needed a moment to sit and process things. Let this be a time of your life where you don't think any less of yourself when you feel weak. May you travel through these next few weeks remembering that even when you have perfected that smile that makes it seem like everything is okay now, you were never meant to carry all of this on your own. Slow down. Breathe deep. Remember, feeling does not make you weak. There is a lot going on right now. And this is also true: it’s not all up to you to sort through all of this right now. Breathe through this, sing through this. Invite all of your available senses to this. Let the splash of the dishwater and the laughter from the other room and the cars passing on the street behind you all remind you that you live in a world where a lot of other people are doing what they can to be strong right now. Love, listen, be patient. Loosen your shoulders at the sight of the sunset. No matter the tension or stress. These are examples of strength. Journal: When is gentleness, strength? How to support this podcast: Leave a review in the Apple Podcasts App! Download my app "Storyteller" for daily messages, wallpapers, and FREE push notifications: http://onelink.to/stapp My shop: http://garden24.co How to connect on social media: Instagram Instagram.com/morganharpernichols Twitter: twitter.com/morganhnichols Pinterest: pinterest.com/morganharpernichols YouTube: youtube.com/morganharpernichols TikTok: tiktok.com/@morganharpernichols Facebook: facebook.com/morganharpernichols

You can only place  so many lamps in a room so the shadows can't gather. Eventually they find their way to the walls and the floors. And at night, they spill out over everything. And this is also true: we are free to keep living amidst their presence. We may not be able to pick them up in our hands and toss them out the window. but we can still paint the walls blue, green, yellow. We can make room for plants. We can still sit there nearby and read our books. The night will come and it will get harder to see, but mourning does come after. We find that we are not held back by their longness or silence. I am learning to hold on to this truth for the lingering shadows of the unknown. I do not know where tomorrow will lead, but I do know that when I take time for reflecting, looking for the good and noticing beauty, I am making room to let love in. This is a small, yet real example of hope. Sometimes amidst the shadows, I have not let go. I have managed to find something meaningful in the uncertainty. This matters in times like this, when you and I are faced with the reality of what does not make sense, and we are forced to sit in wait more than ever before. The longer we are in the stillness, the more the shadows will seem to spill into the light. And just like that, shades of hopelessness start to ease their way into everything. I cannot tell you that the shadows won't cloud your mind, or you won't get a little weary from time to time. But I can tell you: there is still plenty of room for light to fill the room. Take heart, breathe deep. The unknowns in the season might be greater than you have ever thought they would be. But even the fact that you are taking time to listen to this very line shows that through it all. You are still enduring to find a sense of peace in your heavy mind. Exhale after exhale is still leaving your body. You are still living, miraculously learning to dance in the shadows. Journal: Have you ever tried to make sense of the shadows? Support this podcast: Leave a review in the Apple Podcasts App! Download my app "Storyteller" for daily messages, wallpapers, and FREE push notifications: http://onelink.to/stapp My shop: http://garden24.co Social Media: Instagram Instagram.com/morganharpernichols Twitter: twitter.com/morganhnichols Pinterest: pinterest.com/morganharpernichols YouTube: youtube.com/morganharpernichols TikTok: tiktok.com/@morganharpernichols Facebook: facebook.com/morganharpernichols

When your thoughts have torn at the lining of your strength, take heart, be still. There is grace for this. No matter how things go from here, you are not the sum of what happened. You have grown. You have changed. You are still headed in the direction of where you are meant to be. You are stronger. You are wiser. Even when it is hard to believe, allow yourself to show up; allow yourself to breathe. In all of the chaos and imperfection, allow yourself to just be in this moment, for no matter what happens from here, you have already made it further than you thought you would. Step into the clearing. Draw near to the grace. No matter how tomorrow goes, you will never be the same. One of the hardest things about fears is that they have this way of telling you things that are not true. They have this way of stretching and convincing you that no matter how much you have grown - no matter how much things have changed - the shadows that have followed you will have the final say. But the thing is, there has always been more to the story. You may have had to push through difficult things, but not once did those things define you. Even when they have left you with wounds that you were not sure would ever heal - even then they did not define you. Even then, those wounds are not the sum of who you are. You are so much more than what you have experienced. Even when you have been walking through the forest for who knows how long and you feel everything but brave, courageous, or strong. The fact that you are still breathing points to the beautiful grace-filled truth that all along: as long as you are here, there is more to you. There is wisdom to be gathered right here. There are stories of your life that are beginning to take shape, and your heart is being prepared to tell them. And even though this does not change the past, it does mean that through everything, somehow, hope did last. And light is pushing through the hallways of your heart like a river. No amount of shadows can hinder where light can go. So keep going. Even with a little strength you have: trust that even though all you're seeing is an endless canopy of trees overhead, that does not mean this is all there is. There's a clearing in the distance and you are on the journey there. You may be a wanderer, but you are not lost. You are on a journey somewhere. You are headed to a place where you will be able to see that even though you feel you have grown too weak, all by grace, there was more to your story. And even if inhaling and exhaling is the only sign of strength you see today, may you never think any less of it. Allow yourself to deepen in gratitude as you remember what a miracle it is to be breathing at all. This is no small thing and there is grace for every breath. Even here in the wild of a seemingly endless forest, there is grace for this. There is grace for this. Journal: Where are you finding grace today? Social Media: Instagram Instagram.com/morganharpernichols Twitter: twitter.com/morganhnichols Pinterest: pinterest.com/morganharpernichols YouTube: youtube.com/morganharpernichols TikTok: tiktok.com/@morganharpernichols Facebook: facebook.com/morganharpernichols

Just in case no one has told you lately: it is okay if you do not have it all figured out. It is okay if you are still learning how to breathe, while making it through the desert of things. I'm not sure what things you have been told lately, or what pressure you have been made to feel. But above all of that, there is room for you to still find rest in knowing: it is okay if you are not where you thought you would be right now. It is okay if you're still figuring things out when everyone else already seems to have their plans in place. The reason why this is okay is because no matter how far productivity takes you, it does not automatically equal joy and fulfillment in life. There's nothing wrong with getting things done, but may it never become the way to measure growth in your life. Instead, take a look at your inner life. Take a look at the ways you have grown in patience. Notice the ways you have learned to be gentle and extend grace, even when it seemed impossible. Remember the time you did something kind and didn't take the credit. Remember the season where you made a conscious decision to begin the journey of letting something go. No matter what things you don't have figured out, it's those inner things that make all of the difference, no matter what lies ahead. When the days turn into weeks, and the weeks turn into years, and you're wondering how long you have to wait and make the most of life right here - know that even then, light pours through and shines in unexpected places. And after all this time, it is still worth delighting in. For light will show you even in the most shadowy, ordinary rooms, there is still space to heal. Light reveals, even in the waiting. So let your heart be filled with joy at the possibility of what could be. And not just big, far off distant things. But the small and seemingly insignificant - a flicker of hope in the stillness, that even here you are free to come alive. Right here and me in between you are still becoming who you were meant to be. And it is okay to not have it all figured out and still be growing in wisdom and in grace at the same exact time. Journal: What seemingly ordinary thing are you grateful for today? Support this podcast: Leave a review in the Apple Podcasts App! Download my app "Storyteller" for daily messages, wallpapers, and FREE push notifications: http://onelink.to/stapp My shop: http://garden24.co Social Media: Instagram Instagram.com/morganharpernichols Twitter: twitter.com/morganhnichols Pinterest: pinterest.com/morganharpernichols YouTube: youtube.com/morganharpernichols TikTok: tiktok.com/@morganharpernichols Facebook: facebook.com/morganharpernichols

Perhaps one of the reasons why forgiveness is so hard is because forgiveness often requires us to let go before we are ready. Forgiveness causes us to accept this reality that sometimes we have to leave behind our desire to know why they said those words, and why they acted in that way, and why these feelings still linger today. But one thing we don't leave behind is abundant, grace filled room to heal anyway. The past will not change, and we can heal anyway. Some doors are permanently closed, and we can heal anyway. Learning to breathe in the hallway, even before our mourning turns into dancing. This is forgiveness as a practice. This is what forgiveness feels like - when we realize that it is okay if those feelings of anger, resentment, bitterness, and hurt don't go away all at once. Moving on doesn't happen all at once. This work takes time, investment, and courage to stay present. Because right here, on the other side of what happened, is this present moment. And in this present moment, we are free to practice forgiveness -  practice letting it go. For in this space, this remains true: we don't leave peace behind us. Peace, which is room to breathe, is a gloriously divine continuum that keeps finding us over and over again, steadying our souls, reminding us that no matter what we fear, we can still practice letting go, right here. Right here there is room for our heavy hearts to see. Even when we do not get the answers we were longing for the peace we are seeking is still rising slowly and steadily all around us. For the hurt that we feel might linger a little longer than we want it to. And it might find us in the middle of the afternoon when the smallest sliver of a memory takes us back. But in that moment, we also find we are free to exhale. At last, we are free to exhale. There might be a grudge, there might be a memory that won't seem to fade, and at the same exact time: there is also today to realize that forgiveness does not make you weak. Forgiveness does not mean you accept or approve everything. Forgiveness is a practice of letting go, being free, realizing that the past does not have a permanent hold on who you are right now. Journal: Have you ever done something that others might perceive as weak, but it was actually strong? Support this podcast: Leave a review in the Apple Podcasts App! Download my app "Storyteller" for daily messages, wallpapers, and FREE push notifications: http://onelink.to/stapp My shop: http://garden24.co Social Media: Instagram Instagram.com/morganharpernichols Twitter: twitter.com/morganhnichols Pinterest: pinterest.com/morganharpernichols YouTube: youtube.com/morganharpernichols TikTok: tiktok.com/@morganharpernichols Facebook: facebook.com/morganharpernichols

Whenever we start to feel like we can't be stronger, any longer, may we remember the generations coming after us. May we remember that when we find the strength to cultivate courage, that courage is contagious. That courage has ripple effects in the lives of those around us. Courage is gritty, and oftentimes imperfect. Courage is the action we know that we must take, even if we have to do it a little afraid. Courage is saying what we need to say with humility and grace. Courage is the willingness to accept that you might get it wrong sometimes, and you might need to be corrected. But even then, you can say thank you. You can see this as an opportunity to learn and grow. May this be the season you say goodbye to holding back. May this be the time of your life you always remember - the time where you chose to accept that even though you were going to face obstacles lined with fear, you are going to choose to keep going anyway. You are going to keep reminding yourself at any given moment, someone is watching. And they're not watching to see you get it all right. They're watching for an example of courage, an example of someone who is willing to keep going, amidst everything they're going through. And you don't have to prove yourself to this person, but you do have an opportunity every day to let your courage have a ripple effect in the lives of those around you. You do have an opportunity to do what you know you need to do for your soul - even if you have to do it afraid. So May your courage be contagious. May you show up with all you have, knowing that from the very beginning, you're not going to get it all right and that's alright. You're still going to become who you are meant to be; you're still going to live to tell a story of how you continued to rise above, even when you didn't feel brave enough or smart enough or worthy enough. All by grace, you continue to stay the course. You continue to take action where you need to take action and practice stillness where you need to practice stillness. You kept breathing deep in the wild of your fears. You kept acting on courage, trusting that there is a reason you are here. Journal: How will you act on courage today? Support this podcast: Leave a review in the Apple Podcasts App! Download my app "Storyteller" for daily messages, wallpapers, and FREE push notifications: http://onelink.to/stapp My shop: http://garden24.co Social Media: Instagram Instagram.com/morganharpernichols Twitter: twitter.com/morganhnichols Pinterest: pinterest.com/morganharpernichols YouTube: youtube.com/morganharpernichols TikTok: tiktok.com/@morganharpernichols Facebook: facebook.com/morganharpernichols

Support this podcast: Leave a review in the Apple Podcasts App! Download my app "Storyteller" for daily messages, wallpapers, and FREE push notifications: http://onelink.to/stapp My shop: http://garden24.co Social Media: Instagram Instagram.com/morganharpernichols Twitter: twitter.com/morganhnichols Pinterest: pinterest.com/morganharpernichols YouTube: youtube.com/morganharpernichols TikTok: tiktok.com/@morganharpernichols Facebook: facebook.com/morganharpernichols

Mentioned in this episode: Inner Landscape of Beauty (On Being Podcast Episode)  Support this podcast: Leave a review in the Apple Podcasts App! Download my daily app: http://onelink.to/stapp My shop: http://garden24.co Social Media: Instagram Instagram.com/morganharpernichols Twitter: twitter.com/morganhnichols Pinterest: pinterest.com/morganharpernichols YouTube: youtube.com/morganharpernichols Facebook: facebook.com/morganharpernichols

Mentioned in the episode: Needs Inventory: https://www.cnvc.org/training/resource/needs-inventory Feelings Inventory: https://www.cnvc.org/training/resource/feelings-inventory Steal Like An Artist by Austin Kleon (book): https://bookshop.org/books/steal-like-an-artist-10-things-nobody-told-you-about-being-creative/9780761169253?aid=9296 Leave me a voice message! (click "+Message"): https://anchor.fm/morganharpernichols/message Send me an email with “podcast” in the subject line: morgan@morganharpernichols.com Support this podcast: Leave a review in the Apple Podcasts App! Download my daily app: http://onelink.to/stapp My shop: http://garden24.co Social Media: Instagram Instagram.com/morganharpernichols Twitter: twitter.com/morganhnichols Pinterest: pinterest.com/morganharpernichols YouTube: youtube.com/morganharpernichols Facebook: facebook.com/morganharpernichols

A link to the poem I read in this episode: https://www.instagram.com/p/CDWrswdAu4M/ Other References:  The Collected Poems of Audre Lorde, 'Stations' page 358 Every Moment Holy by Douglas Mckelvey, page 215 Support the show: Download my 'Storyteller' app, available for Apple and Android  Art prints, stickers, books and more in my online shop Garden24

I talked to Nadia Rodriguez (https://www.instagram.com/lovenaadiaa/) earlier this year about our stories, creativity, and inspiration.

A poem and Art by Morgan Harper Nichols, inspired by a conversation with Taylor Tippett: instagram.com/taylortippett, https://www.atravelinlady.com/ Download the art and read the full poem here: HTTP://morganharpernichols.com/blog

Poems by Morgan Harper Nichols One Breath At A Time (Song) - YouTube

Today's episode is a conversation with a reader named Amanda who has said 'yes' to sharing encouraging messages with her community! Start sending your own encouraging messages for free (up to 100 people) using Remind.com* *This is not a paid sponsorship :) - I have just used this service before and highly recommend it! || Subscribe to free daily push notifications on my app Storyteller (Available on Apple and Android) www.morganharpernichols.com If you enjoy this podcast, please leave a review on iTunes / Apple Podcast and help spread the word!

Reflections on a conversation with Olivia Lin (@atiliay) by Morgan Harper Nichols Download the art and read the essay Abstract (The Netflix Documentary Episode Morgan mentioned) Follow Morgan Harper Nichols on Instagram Morgan Harper Nichols's Website Follow Olivia Lin on Instagram Olivia Lin's Website (Atiliay)