It’s easy to get caught in the shadows…of what might have been if we made a different choice here or there. It’s easy to get caught up in who we would have been had we gone another way than we would have gone.
I always loved the part of Peter Pan where his shadow is running away from him. Peter is so determined to get his shadow back. All of his energy is spent chasing the shadow and then trying to soap his shadow back to his foot. I know many people who have spent their whole lives chasing their shadow selves, never content to sit and see what is around them and who they have become. They never seem to encounter a Wendy who sits them down and explains that you can’t keep chasing your shadow, nor can you just glue your shadow self to your feet. Instead, you have to take the time to sew those shadow selves that might have been into who you are now and where you are now integrating the choices you have made recognizing that those choices led you right here to this moment.
Shadow selves are alluring and elusive because they come and go depending on the light. Shadow selves are always revealing because they ask us to remember and reflect on where we have been, but if we spend too much time chasing those shadow selves, then we miss who we are becoming. It’s easy to get caught in the shadows rather than turning towards the light and see the radiance of who we are right now in this very moment.