Reckless and Wonderful
“You are doing the most reckless … wonderful thing,” the bearded, 50 something year old man blurted out.
I was walking down the street and had just stopped at the crosswalk when this exuberant stranger declared his feelings about my bulging belly. He continued on, telling me about his 16 year old daughter and what a wild ride parenting is.
“And you know what,” he said, “It’s all good. Even the hard parts.”
The walk sign turned, I thanked him for his advice and we headed off in our respective directions.
I thought about his words as I crossed the street and entered the coffee shop. I thought about them again when I told Adam the story and again as I flopped into bed that night.
Reckless and wonderful.
Reckless AND wonderful.
Before my crosswalk encounter I’d been primarily thinking about my pregnancy as reckless. Sleepless nights, income changes, diaper blow outs. Why would I say YES to this thing that was about to turn my well-cultivated and happy life on its head?
Who would agree to such change?
What his honest words reminded me was that everything wonderful in my life started out as a reckless decision.
It was reckless to pass on my gastroenterologist’s advice and heal my ulcerative colitis naturally. It was reckless to quit my good paying job with full benefits to start my own business as a coach. It was reckless to fall head over heals in love with Adam. And insanely reckless to start a family before even moving in together.
And each of these reckless decisions have brought more wonder and joy to my life than any other “responsible” decision I’ve ever made.
Yes, having children is reckless. As is starting a business, falling in love, taking on a new project, making time for art or speaking up when it’d be so easy to keep the peace. And yet it’s on the other side of reckless that we find the heart and growth that brings purpose, wisdom and deep satisfaction to our lives.
It is the reckless and wonderful that remind us we’re awake and willing to live into our greatest capacity during our time on this planet.
Go find your reckless and wonderful decision, and know that I’m right there with you, stretching together into all that we’re meant to be and have always been.
If you enjoyed this post, please keep reading!
This conversation is between myself and an incredible woman named Ani, who shares how she learned how to be authentic, practice self-compassion, and take up space without guilt or shame through my 6-month group coaching program, Homecoming. Ani is a model for how to excavate internalized misogyny and live authentically without fear of others’ opinions. The conversation originally took place on my podcast, The Path Home.