A few weeks ago, I wrote a thing that a lot of people read– and a lot of people reacted to. Actually, it got more reaction than my blip of a brush with cancer. My guess is that me telling people that someone had hurt ME, like an actual person, not just an asshole of a rogue cell or two, brought something out in all of you, which in turn brought me many gifts in the form of all of your words. What a powerful reaction and strange happening in the universe– like a little chemistry test. Let me tell you, my words prompted your words, which prompted a mini love shower all over this place.

I often refer to myself as a fierce mama bear, but have such a hard time receiving the gift and grace of someone else being a bear on my behalf. So one of the huge lessons I am learning on this journey is to not brush off compliments, love, offers of help, or words of kindness. So often I turn to humor or just put on my 3,000 pound shield of armor against human kindness toward me– mostly saying “oh yeah thanks, we’re good.” Raise your hands, how many of you have heard me say “no worries, it’s all good!” and emphatically flash my muppet-ish-face grin at you?! Yup, all the hands are raised. It’s a thing.

I got email, voicemail, texts, comments and letters from so. many. of. you. And from absolutely every continent and walk of life I’ve set foot on. People who I did not even remotely realize still remembered me, or thought of me, or who I’d had an impact on, wrote to me and told me. You used words like “power” “beauty” “strength”– and actually sent me things that said: “Following your journey on Facebook there have been so many moments when I read a post or saw a photo and was captivated and inspired by you. Reading your blog just now, my heart feels on the verge of exploding with love.” And this: “Because in my mind you are strong and amazing and capable of so many things and whether or not you feel any or all of that at this very moment, the ripples you put out into the world mean a lot to those of us around you. I just thought you should know someone thinks you’re pretty awesome.”

I am sitting in the middle of a storm and you, friends, are sending me life raft after life raft. I actually feel like all I have to do is reach my hands out in any direction and they’ll land on the steady shoulders of any number of people ready to just lift me up. A few people have commented that they haven’t seen me break down, they haven’t seen me get really emotional and “how do you DO it all?” Well, not alone, that’s for sure. And rest assured I’ve had my moments that are much less than grace filled– more yell-y, f-bomb, ugly cry. Trust me, it happens, and it’s ok. But mostly, mainly, I have faith and friends.

So, when I shared my big scary “shit what will the world think of me NOW” truth, y’all literally created a counter-storm of love. Which got me thinking- what if we all got to hear words like these more often? Would we be inspired to do something new? Would we save ourselves from staying in a crap relationship for that much longer? Would it release some pent up sadness that long ago needed to go? And therefore, I am giving you homework. If you are reading this I am asking you to go be Truthiful (truthfully beautiful) to another someone. The words that you all shared with me literally changed my heart– and I’d like to share this ripple of wild Truthiful love out into the world. If there is someone else you feel has impacted you, gifted you, shaped you, helped you– and you’ve never told them, your job is to TELL THEM. Today. And then tell me that you did it. Here or on FB. Take those words that my storm brought out in you, and shower them on someone else. Don’t wait for her storm, tell her NOW.

Go. Truthifully. Do it.

xo