May I remind you that your longings are there for a reason.
-Robin Sharma
I love Reese’s cups.
The chocolate here in Switzerland lives up to the hype – BUT – Reese’s cups are hard to come by. When Halloween rolls around, I’d give my kingdom of all the finest Swiss pralines for one salty peanut-buttery bite of heaven in an orange wrapper.
Longing is a funny thing. Although I know exactly what I’m missing when it comes to Reese’s cups, there are other things I long for that I’ve never had.
Even though I don’t actually know what I’m missing – even though I really can’t be sure that life would actually be better by having them – I yearn for them just the same. Can you relate?
That’s because at the heart of any longing isn’t actually the thing you want. What you’re really after is the feeling you believe you’d experience if you had it.
One can intellectually understand this about longing. But at the end of the day, you still want what you want, right?!
And I still want my Reese’s cup.
Discerning whether to go after the specific thing you want, or to try instead to access the feeling through another means – is part of the art of living.
As is learning to find the feeling inside yourself, without needing it to come from somewhere, something, or someone else.
But I still agree with Robin Sharma: your longings are there for a reason.
When your heart is whispering (shouting?) that there’s more – the rational part of you can try to disagree or ignore it. What a heart wants can be inconvenient, scary, or even painful to admit.
And starting to act in ways that move you closer to what you want can sometimes feel like the hardest possible thing.
Thankfully, there’s nothing like a fiery longing to ignite a few tiny steps past your status quo.
And when you start moving forward, even in baby steps: let the games begin! This is saying yes to living. Whether you end up with the thing you wanted or not, if you keep going, you’re going to end up in a version of your life that feels a lot more like truth.
And THAT is pretty much the most satisfying thing in the world.
Even a Reese’s can’t touch it.
Love,
Kate
PS – Need a song to put a spring in your baby steps toward what you want? Check out the latest single from Rowan Sway! Listen to “Intersection” on Spotify, YouTube, iTunes, Apple Music, Amazon, and all your other favorite listening platforms.
PPS – Know someone who likes Reese’s cups and folky pop music? I’d be honored and grateful if you shared this post with them!