I have spent much of my life talking down to myself when I don’t know things. Grading myself on the toughest of curves, and feeling that not knowing is a sign of my inadequacies. I wrote a poem last week, that dives into this topic, but offers a different perspective to view unknowing through.

The underbelly of a snake has wide, straight, horizontal scales that bi-sect across its body. The underbelly scales look like a ladder, going from the tip of its tail to its head. However, to gain momentum, the snake creates “s” shapes with its body - contracting parts and expanding other parts - it’s this serpentine movement that propels it forward. The snake is a good example of the illusion of the ladder. The illusion that progression in our lives should be a straight line, from one rung of the ladder to the next. Don’t fret if you feel you’re going side to side, that might be the very movement you need to get to where you’re trying to go.

When you give your spark to someone else’s dream. Your spark moves out of your body where the energy to feed it lives. It moves into theirs, and their energy now needs to feed both. This isn’t good for anyone involved. The most powerful your spark will ever be is when it’s housed in your body, fueling your dreams.