Get Past Perfect and Rise Up Real.

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Did you know that certain Native American artisans weave small, purposeful mistakes into their blankets?

These master craftspeople include intentional slip-ups in their best work. But why?

Because they believe that the “mistake” is the very space that allows Spirit to move in and out of the fabric.

Take a moment and let that sink in. Then ask yourself …

What if the mistakes you wish you hadn’t made could be openings for Spirit in your life?

If that question freaks you out a little, I understand.

I’m Caroline Garnet McGraw, author of You Don’t Owe Anyone: Free Yourself from the Weight of Expectations (Broadleaf Books, 2021).

I’ve spent most of my life in abject terror of making mistakes. But in 2011, I started this blog as an account of the journey to get past perfect and rise up real.

A Wish Come Clear is about the lifelong odyssey that we take to come home to ourselves and each other.

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Please tell me we can do better than this

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This Sunday morning, I am up before the sun. My toddler daughter and I have breakfast; I clean oatmeal from places I didn’t even know oatmeal could go. Once I corral her into clothes and miniature sneakers, we head out the door.

It’s one of those beautiful fall mornings when the sun is warm and the shade is cool. I push our little girl in her stroller, watching her feet kick as we walk in the direction of her favorite park.

We pass only a few people; it feels as though the hushed, sunlit town belongs to us. We play at the park for a golden hour, chasing squirrels and swinging and sliding down the slide.

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The Most Likely Way You’ll Take Back Your Time

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Having a baby has changed the way I make choices.

Time with Baby Girl McGraw is such a big YES for me that it puts every other decision into sharper focus.

“Do I want to take on this project?” turns into, “Do I want to trade an hour with our long-awaited little one? Do I want to source childcare for this time? Is it worth it to me?”

I’m hooked on the fierce clarity. But the challenge, of course, is to translate thought into action – to LIVE from that place of integrity.

Is this something you struggle with, dear one? Then let me tell you about a magical phrase that helps me.

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If only you knew (what it’s really like to write)

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Over a dozen of you wrote to me last week to share how much the missive meant to you. Thank you.

As I read message after message, I shook my head and thought, “Wow. If only they knew.”

Then I realized that perhaps it’s right that you DO know.

The morning I wrote that missive, I did not bounce out of bed with a smile.

Like so many other parents in this COVID time, my husband and I have been caring for our baby for 2 months without outside help, while both running our businesses.

We’re thankful to have that option … and also, it has not been easy.

We’ll have more help soon, but the morning I wrote the missive, I felt as though I was running a marathon with no finish line.

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