Life on paper vs. life in practice
Most days, the noisiest parts of us are in charge.
The thoughts that won’t turn off.
The roles we’ve played for decades.
The habits that run on autopilot.
The momentum that drags us into another week.
None of those parts are wrong. They’ve kept us moving, kept us showing up. But they’re not the whole of who we are.
When those familiar patterns take over, the rest of us gets edged out. And then choices get made, not from the parts that know where you’re headed, but from the ones that are easiest to hear in the moment.
On the surface, everything looks fine–the plan, the calendar, the commitments. But when you step into it, it doesn’t quite fit.
Sometimes that looks like saying yes to something that sounded good at first, only to feel the tug of regret later. Or pouring all your energy into holding space for others–the client who needs you, the friend who’s struggling, the family who counts on you. By the time you close the laptop, return the call, load the dishwasher, there’s nothing left in the tank for your own reflection. Your own space quietly slipping to the edges.
What makes the difference is having a practice you return to often enough that all of you gets a turn at the table. Not just when things fall apart. Not just when you have a sliver of time left over. But woven into the rhythm of your days.
Because when you show up for yourself like that, the parts of you that carry the deeper wisdom don’t have to fight for your attention. They’re already there, waiting.
Your mind slows down long enough to notice.
Your heart names what it really feels.
Your body speaks up about what it needs.
Your energy remembers its creative spark.
Your soul lifts your eyes to the bigger picture.
Tarot, for me, is a doorway. One card shifts the light, and suddenly what I’d skimmed past comes into view. It doesn’t narrow me down to one story. It shows the nuance of being human–the layers, the contradictions, the patterns I might miss when I’m rushing. And in that reflection, I come home to myself.
When all of you is at the table you don’t have to keep powering through or second-guessing your way forward.
That’s when your boundaries hold.
That’s when your days fit instead of chafe.
That’s when the effort finally lines up with the living and life feels like it matches who you are now.
P.S. This is exactly the work inside Through the Looking Glass — using tarot as a doorway so the whole of you has a say. You can check it out here.
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