All You Have To Do

All you have to do is be present, right here, right now, in this moment.

Allow yourself to be here, right now. Allow yourself to love all of it: California, San Francisco, the park, the bridge, the weather, the weirdness, the people, the thought of staying put, your current circumstances… All of it.

You don’t have to go anywhere. You don’t have to run. There’s no need for you to pick up and go. Drown the feeling of suffocation; it’s not real. The walls aren’t closing in on you; there’s enough room in this city for your life and everyone else’s.

Memories are created with people in specific places. Sometimes revisiting these places hurts, yes, but you can move past the associations. You can create new memories. Go back to each location and make it your own. Call back your power to you; call it back from those who have proven themselves unworthy to receive it and nurture it.

All you have to do is be here, right now, in this moment. Nowhere else.

You don’t have to be anyone but yourself, with your imperfections and your mistakes; with your hurts, your wants, your needs; with your own brand of crazy and passion; with your hope of moving forward, of improving, of learning each necessary lesson; with all of the love you carry within, yet have failed to give to those closest to you; with your tears and your smiles; with all of the ways you have misspoken and have been misunderstood; with all of the pain you have caused.

All you have to do is be you in this exact moment, in this exact place.
Nothing less, nothing more. Nowhere else, no one else.
That is all.
Just be.
Breathe, and just be.

Changing your environment won’t change you.
Be here right now, and be okay with all of it.
Be okay with all of it.

Pay attention.

Remember: you are loved, and you are forgiven. Therefore, love and forgive others. Make peace with yourself, and walk on to your next adventure as you are. If you are receptive, the journey will teach you what you need to know at each step of the way.

Photo by: Belén Alemán / Fort Mason Park, San Francisco, California