ICEBREAKER: WHAT IS A MEMORY THAT WILL FOREVER MAKE YOU LAUGH OUT LOUD?
Caden was always funny – making noises and faces all the time. The most classic was The Caterpillar where he would move his eyebrows separately and in synch so they looked like a caterpillar walking along his brow. It always got a laugh – which was good since he used it effectively as comic relief, appropriate or inappropriate timing, it was always funny. Whenever there was tension, usually at the dinner table, he’d quietly sit there, hands on his lap, looking to catch someone’s eye to break up the tension. It worked every time. Humour as deflection – a family trait and he got it in spades.
GOING DEEPER: HOW HAVE YOU CHANGED THIS PAST YEAR?
The real question is how have I not changed? I say that because on a core level everything shifted, I was completely rocked this year. How so? I feel all the feels, I am much softer in my approach to things, I cry without judgment for being pathetic. I’ve learned that feeling love and showing love is not weakness but strength. My view of how I show up in the world, how I feel my feelings has been turned completely upside down. This is all internal, I’m not sure how it’s viewed by others or if it’s even noticeable. I have let go of all of the “should” in my life and returned to a more mature version of my 17-year-old self who was enthusiastic, confident and full of life. I have healthy boundaries while learning to be open to more people and situations that will potentially hurt me but more likely help me grow – and feel.
