Finding Clarity in the Quiet

 Sometimes the signs we need arrive softly — on wings of change.

This weekend, while camping, I gave myself permission to slow down and listen — not just to the wind moving through the trees, but to what was stirring inside me. At first, the emotions felt heavy and tangled. But as I sat with them, I realized I was caught in a trauma memory loop, retelling a story that wasn’t even real.

Instead of fighting it, I breathed. I let the emotion rise, crest, and move through me. I practiced paying attention on purpose, without judgment. I offered myself grace — something I often forget to do.

Throughout the weekend, butterflies seemed to follow me wherever I went. They floated beside me on the trail, lingered near my campsite, and appeared just when I needed a reminder to stay present. I took it as a sign — a quiet message from the universe that transformation is already happening, even when we can’t yet see the wings forming.

This lesson visited me more than once during my time outdoors. Sometimes, when we begin to unpack the layers of our pain, it can feel overwhelming. But stepping back, I’m reminded that healing takes time. Every person we meet, every place we go, holds a lesson if we’re willing to see it.

The key, I think, is to stop taking it all so seriously. To let life breathe a little. To trust that we’re right where we need to be, even when it feels uncertain.

I’m looking forward to finally following through on the things I’ve talked about for years — the dreams that waited quietly in the background. Now I know they can become real. Anyone can create change. It takes time, effort, and courage to move through the discomfort, but it’s worth it.

Out here in the stillness of nature, I was reminded that growth doesn’t happen all at once. It unfolds moment by moment, breath by breath, heart by heart. And sometimes, if you’re paying attention, it arrives fluttering beside you — a gentle reminder that you’re becoming something new.