“Strength, Courage, and Wisdom”

I’ve always loved the song “Strength, courage, and wisdom” by India Arie. I played it all the time in college. I was listening to it a few months ago and some of the lyrics jumped out at me for the very first time. Here are a few of my favorite lines:

“I close my eyes and I think of 

all the things I want to see …

‘Cause, now that I’ve opened up my heart 

I know that …

Anything I want can be”

I sing that song to myself nearly every single day. 

When I first started socializing the fact that I was getting a divorce, many people asked me if I was scared. My answer was always the same: “not for a second … well, except for that one time … right after I saw that movie ‘Us’ by myself … and then my kitchen knife went missing two days later … not just any knife … the biggest one.” (That’s a story for another time.)

I recently took the Enneagram personality test and learned that I’m a Six. I usually ignore personality tests, but this one was different. It spoke to me. I learned that Sixes are excellent troubleshooters. They can foresee problems and try to foster cooperation. That is so me! (Though some efforts to gain cooperation don’t work out as planned.) I also read that there’s “no [personality] type is stronger or more resilient than a rooted and centered Six.” Thank the Lord. I have needed that strength now more than any other time in my life. 

“Strength, courage, and wisdom …

It’s been inside of me all along.”

I can clearly see the path ahead of me. And I love what I see coming down the road.