As the neckwarmer slid over my head it made my hair staticy, which didn’t matter because next I pulled a hat over my head. I slipped on my gloves and opened the front door. The cold air hit my skin like a wave. It was refreshing and real and raw.

My eyes immediately found the sky, seeing the sliver of a moon that hung high in the sky. Early morning runs will always have my heart. As I ran the first hill staring at the moon I thought about the period of time, not long ago, that I immersed deeply into my shadow work and how much this run felt like those months. Those months felt like an uphill battle, they felt cold, they felt dark and like the light of the moon barely hung in the sky. While those months were intensely raw and vulnerable for me, they forced me to look at my shadows and heal the underlying wounds associated with them. Much like the hill that I was running up this morning, I fought hard to climb that metaphorical hill called shadow work.

I came to the top of the hill and started on the flat. My body settled into the run and I felt great in my body, I sank into the run. As I relaxed into the run and my body found the rhythm of the run, I found myself sky gazing and watching the first light of the sun start to peek through the darkness. As the moon faded and a beautiful display of pink and blue took its place with a breathtaking red/yellow fire starting to rise in the sky, I realized that the sky felt like me now. With the shadow work fading into light I find myself relaxing into life, my soul finding its rhythm of this human experience and much like this morning sky the brightness and light of the morning sun rise has rained down upon my life, kissing every corner of my life and reminding me that once again the sun has come to light my world on fire.

If you find yourself at the base of the hill named shadow work, know that at the top where healing lives you will find a beautiful display of light and love.