Yep, every night around 3:30 AM Charlee my beloved Chocolate Labrador jumps over me on my bed to take her outside. At first, this was sooo annoying, I kept thinking, I am losing precious sleep. But then something happened.

I walked outside with her instead of standing at the door and started looking up to the moon in its different phases and it occurred to me – I get it. I was being reminded of growing and patterns.

We all tend to look at each year and rush out the gate in January to new rules, goals, and resolutions. We are measured by our jobs in our performance by quarters and we push, push, push!

My financial advisor looks at the numbers and gives an analysis of where I am and where I need to be, to be secure. The year starts to fly by when we feel the heat on our skin and the splashing of kids jumping in pools, the smell of our neighbor’s charcoals, and the sweat rushing down the sides of our temples while outside trying to water our yellow crunchy grass.

We can’t help but feel nauseous when we start seeing the Halloween stuff go up and shortly after the Thanksgiving reminders and yes, the Christmas trees. A slow groan runs deep within my soul feeling like I am less than more as I eat a bag of almond joys and snickers.

So here I am standing outside, at 3 AM and I am staring at the moon and reminded we all need to stop the rushing, pushing, and internal measurement of “where you are supposed to be” and just be still in yourself. You are alive, you are amazing, you are doing good for yourself, and your family. You are Beautiful.

Embrace the moments, because we are not guaranteed any certain amount of them. Stop listening to anyone who wants to scare you with your future self and, be like the moon.

Know you have phases and appreciate each of them. So, thank you Charlee for not only waking me up to let you out but for making me step outside and look up at the one thing that guides us all. My moon.

Peace to all of you.