What if we made a choice to be brave? What if we made a choice to tell the true stories? My dear friend Liz posed this question recently as we sat in circle of kindreds at the Oregon coast. I've been thinking a lot about this. What if? What would happen if I told my true stories? It's really brave to look the world in the eye and say "I don't care what you think, I'm going to tell my truth." But? What's the alternative? Constantly living in fear of judgement? Keeping it all in?

In the middle of all this, my friend Mia shared Sara Bareilles newest music video with me. I've heard the song before, but hadn't seen the video. I watched it the first time as I sat alone in the Tucson Airport waiting on my luggage. I laughed. I cried. And I laughed some more. I want to be brave. I want to be a brave friend. I want to be a brave wife. I want to be a brave parent. I want to worry less about the world thinks and more about what my heart tells me.

We choose to quit jobs, get married, adopt an animal, but of course there are many life events we don’t choose—a divorce, an accidental pregnancy, or the death of a loved one. Yet we can still choose how we deal with and react to these occurrences in our lives.

I chose to be happy.

I choose to seek joy.

I choose to laugh.

I choose to be brave.

I chose to tell my true stories. 

What about you? What are you going to choose to be?