Today, I am cooking and eating on the traditional and stolen lands of the Nipmuc and Massachusett tribes.

That is all.

They say, “It’s not about the destination. It’s about the journey.”

I hear them, and on many levels, I believe that statement.

But what do I do when the journey feels fruitless? Is the journey worth it without a destination?

But we won’t know if there is a destination if we don’t pursue it.

And so, I journey on…

Talking about things that I don’t know much about is scary.

Either I’m faking it (which I really try not to do) or I am admitting that I don’t know, either to myself or to the person I’m speaking to or learning from.

Is the fear that they will think less of me? (In almost all cases, they probably won’t think less of me.)

Or, is the fear that my whole worldview will be rocked. Maybe I’ll learn that not only do I not know much about the topic, but what I thought about X, Y and Z have been wrong all along! And I’ll have to deal with the aftershocks.

It gives me nausea just thinking about it.

However, I know that, in order to grow, I have to embrace imperfection, change and humility. But that doesn’t make those conversations any less scary.

Crying is not a sign of weakness.

All of our lives, we are told to hold it all together, to bury those tears.

We are told to buck up and to power through – that no one wants to see those tears.

No, crying is not a sign of weakness. It is an incredible display of personal strength and trust.

Strength to emote authentically despite all the times that we have been told otherwise.

Trust in ourselves and the feelings we are having. Trust that they are important enough not to ignore. Trust in our bodies despite the constant advice to be separate and put mind over matter.

No, the ones who cry are not weak.

The ones who cry are the ones who will lead us into a new world.