When I Rise

Andra Day’s “Rise Up” provides the perfect anthem to the acknowledgement that even amidst the failure, the loss, the mistakes, and the exhaustion of self-reflection and personal weathering there is glorious success, and beautiful miracles. Andra Day’s lyric, “And I'll rise up, I'll rise like the day, I'll rise up, I'll rise unafraid, I'll rise up, and I'll do it a thousand times again,” moves me because I need to give myself permission to also celebrate the things that work, knowing I am always trying to build the best version of myself, and I will fall, I will continue to not always reach the best version of me on any given day, but that I will get up again, first, for myself, and then for my wife and children. I owe it to me to always get back up—and sometimes it takes more time than others!—but I also owe it to my family to show them that it can always be done, and nothing about any personal work is perfect—practice makes permanent, and so I will rise with intention in my effort, grounded in patience, and a healthy dose of forgiveness for the parts of me that are still evolving, and when I rise I will look at what I have built, where I have achieved, and prepare for the next step towards rising.