Life as Teacher

What if life is our most powerful teacher?

Not a soft and gentle instructor, but a fierce, wise guide who never stops offering lessons—whether we’re ready or not.

Sometimes her messages arrive like a whisper. Other times, like a storm.

A lost job might be life saying, “This isn’t your path.”

A lingering illness might be her calling out, “You’re neglecting your body.”

Silence in a relationship might be the lesson, “You’re trying to control something that isn’t yours to hold.”

Life teaches us in every moment.

And yet… we often don’t listen.

We override her nudges.

We don't follow her path.

We tighten our grip.

We try to control the outcome, fix the discomfort, stay in charge.

And in that resistance—we suffer.

After 59 years on this wild, beautiful ride, I’m finally learning to listen. Not just to hear—but to apply what she’s showing me.

Let me tell you a story…

Years ago, I woke up suspended upside down in my car, held by my seatbelt, smoke filling the cabin. I had hit black ice on the way to a Sunday trail run—late again, pushing too hard, trying to squeeze one more thing into an already overflowing day. At the time, I was training for a 100K race, working full-time, and raising three kids. I was in motion constantly. Driven. Tired. Unaware of how much I was asking of myself.

That crash was a wake-up call. One I couldn’t ignore. Life had been whispering for years—slow down, simplify, be present—but I hadn’t been listening. So she got louder.

That day changed me. It broke something open.

Now, I try to pay attention to the quieter lessons—before they have to become avalanches.

Who else is my teacher?

My body.

My children.

My husband.

My team.

The land beneath my feet.

Books, dreams, silence.All of it.

All of them are parts of life… and life is always speaking.

When we begin to see everything as a teacher, something shifts.

We stop labeling experiences as “good” or “bad.”

We stop defending or denying.

And we begin to receive what life is trying to offer—growth, grace, evolution.

I’m all in on that journey even when it’s uncomfortable. Especially then.

Thank you, Life! 

So here’s a question for you:

What is life teaching you right now?

And… are you listening?

With love and trust in your unfolding,