Today, I feel like I am a snake who is getting ready to shed my skin. Except that I I don’t want to just shed my skin, I want to shed more.
I want to shed my old, victim like ways.
I want to shed this safe resting place that I have taken shelter and refuge in.
I want to shed this fear and the echoes of trauma that keep calling and calling to me.
I want to shed this little prison and its shackles so I can explore the rest of me, the rest of life, the entirety of my potential to grow, expand, shine and make a beautiful difference in the world.
Here I am, like the snake in the picture, except, I have one eye open.
That eye is looking outward, feeling the fire and rage within and it’s gauging if today is the day to shed it all.
I take a deep breath in. I smile and roar within me and open both eyes and climb off that safe branch.
I stretch as far as I can, both into and away from myself.
I feel the layers of the old, flaking and crumbling off of me as I slither and stretch and climb up, and up, and up to a new view point on life.
I start to feel more free, less encumbered, weighed down and trapped by the confines of my previous existence.
I open my mouth and feel a roar coming up from within me. A roar that makes no sense because up until now I’ve been a roar-less snake who has been curled up, safe and protected from harm and from my past.
But today, I have shed my old self and I am a lion. A proud, strong and gorgeous lion with a roar that shakes the trees and sends ripples into the oceans.
I am a lion, one who has walked the Earth for millennia, bringing new life, power and strength to all who see and hear me.
I am a lion, fierce, proud, and scarred from battles but ready to stand strong and fight for myself and for those who are healing. The ones who are curled up and incubating in the echoes of their past until it is their time to shed the old and walk the Earth anew. Afire. Awash with their strength. Full of roars and power. Just like I am becoming today.
Here I am Life. Hear me roar. I am Mighty. I am ancient and brand new. I am both a whisper and a mighty roar. I am it All, re-arisen from the ashes of my past, with a new body, new skin, new image, and new confidence. I am roaring and I am glorious.
To those who can’t yet roar, I am here, roaring, prowling, and making the path clear and safe for you, for your emergence, for your shedding and for your transformation.
For you and for us, I roar. In honor of our collective pain, traumas, and past, I roar. Peace be with you as you rest, incubate and heal. I will be here, ready to rejoice when we can roar together and set our world free.
© Bradlee Zrudlo 2023. All Rights Reserved.
PhD in Being Me 