“The mind gives us a thousand ways to say no, but there’s only one way to say yes, and that’s from the heart.”

-- Suze Orman

I have made some decisions recently about the rest of my life. One thing is very clear to me: the time has come for me to stop ‘giving myself away.’ Throughout my life, I have moved from state to state, from relationship to relationship in an effort to please someone else. I believed that to be a good sport, to be a good wife or partner, I needed to allow the man to lead and to choose, and it was my job to accommodate. In being accommodating, I didn’t always honor my wishes and my desires.

My wish now is for peace, quiet, and support for who I am. I am choosing to return to Lopez Island in Washington State. I have lived there twice before, and I allowed men to talk me into living where they wanted to be. No matter that I gave up my job or my home or my friends or my support system. Now I am ‘going home.’ It is where I thrive and grow as a human. It is where I am supported and never shamed. It is where people see ME for who and what I am. They value my very presence. And I in turn value them greatly.

This is not about anyone being wrong. It is about each of us following our dreams and doing what makes us resonate to life. I have not been able to resonate for some time, and it is because I have not been following my heart. I am going home to live the rest of the time I have left in Peace and Quiet and Love.

~ Joy Davis

“In our deepest moments of struggle, frustration, fear, and confusion, we are being called upon to reach in and touch our hearts. Then, we will know what to do, what to say, how to be.”

-- Roberta Sage Hamilton

“What your heart thinks is great, is great. The soul’s emphasis is always right.”

-- Ralph Waldo Emerson