The Ripple Effect of Laying Still!
Good morning, friends,
On a quiet Saturday morning, Kevin snapped a picture of me laying in the middle of Old Route 66—somewhere between Topock and Oatman, Arizona. There were no cars. No noise. Just desert, mountains, and the open road.
I didn’t know until later how much that moment would symbolize.
It was a clear day, and as I looked around, I saw forever.
It’s something I’ve noticed a lot since moving to Arizona.
When I step out our front door, I can honestly see the curvature of the Earth.
That perspective has changed me.
These views, this move, this new life—they’ve helped me realize something I hadn’t given myself permission to feel:
I never dreamed this big.
Because for most of my life, I didn’t think I could.
Growing up as Debbie Sue Young, in a home filled with both love and trauma, I learned how to laugh, hustle, and survive. My childhood taught me resilience and resourcefulness. It also taught me that if I wanted something, I’d have to work for it—no free rides.
And I did work. I worked hard. But I never believed I deserved the life I was building. I gave the credit away. I let the imposter syndrome speak louder than my progress.
Moving to Arizona with Kevin, leaving everything behind, was our way of saying: “Let’s live the life we want.”
No keeping up with the Joneses.
No forgetting who I was.
No pretending I hadn’t earned this.
In Havasu, people don’t know my past. They know me. Today’s me. That’s been a gift—and a challenge.
Because out here, I’ve been invited to meet myself all over again.
I’ve challenged the labels I clung to.
“I don’t clean.” That’s no longer true.
“I don’t cook.” Actually, I do—and sometimes I even enjoy it.
I've discovered that even without a job title or to-do list, I still have value. I can still contribute. That realization didn’t come easy. But it came.
And it brought me back to the road.
Lying there on Old Route 66, behind me stood the mountains I’ve climbed—grief, shame, doubt. In front of me, the road was rippling toward the horizon.
Years ago, my word of the year was Ripple Effect.
And that road?
It reminded me that everything I do—every step, every share, every shift—ripples out.
I want my ripple to be love.
I want my ripple to be proof that normal, everyday life can feel extraordinary when we learn to receive it.
I want my ripple to remind others: you don’t have to chase to be worthy.
Today, I’m done keeping up with anyone else.
I’m embracing who I was, who I am, and who I’m still becoming.
The girl I used to be? She helped me get here.
And today, I honor her by looking forward—eyes wide open to the life I now believe I deserve.
I am rooting for you! 🌱 Keep blooming! 🌻
💖 Debbie
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