I've spent endless hours watching a heart monitor.

I've watched that line bounce up and down in its own rhythm. Each line so crisp as it follows the familiar pattern…in perfect synchronization.

A perfectly synchronized line of the same thing over and over again.

Just like we want life to be. Or do we?

We are terrified of the ups and downs life brings us. Frankly, we are terrified of our own hearts beating. If we weren't so afraid, I do not think we would be so comfortable with the unmistakable rigid pattern our life seems to sometimes repeat in. Shouldn't we be able to see that these waves of our heart monitor signify viability?

Every time my eyes followed the strikes…up…down….up….down, I was reminded of the beauty, the power our body contains.

Despite our best efforts, our own body won't let us forget how much of a miracle it is.

Think about it. We start as a little speck in another human body, yet manage to evolve into a LIVING being.

Can you feel it?

With so many opportunities and possibilities, why would you ever shy away from striving for the feeling of that varied rhythm?

Don't sit in that never-ending hole of fear. Don't watch life go.

We don't want a flat line bereft of movement, do we?

This is my friendly reminder to embrace those bumps. Those irregular rhythms our heart flutters out. The nervousness when you are about to try something new...when you can't stand the pain of a heartbreak anymore.

Do not disregard any variations of your heartbeat. Rather, embrace it. Live it. Love it.

Every quickened heartbeat on a first date, that fast pounding in the chest before you speak up, or that familiar "thump, thump" when you step through the door to a new chapter is only reminding you of one thing.

You are alive.