One Step Forward

At the center of a labyrinth in Joshua Tree, tucked among small offerings, I once found an old subway ticket. On it were the words: “Step over the gap, not into it.” At first it seemed like nothing more than a safety warning. But the phrase stayed with me, because it felt like something larger — a reminder of how we meet the hard edges of life.

We all encounter gaps: the distance between who we are and who we want to be, the pause between fear and action, the space where uncertainty lingers. When pain or struggle pulls us in, it’s easy to lose our footing — to get stuck in the weeds of self-doubt, old stories, or endless loops of suffering.

But what if the invitation isn’t to step into those gaps, but to step over them? Not pretending they don’t exist, not denying fear or grief, but choosing to keep moving. To face what frightens us, carry what hurts, and still take the next step forward.

In therapy, this often means honoring the places where you feel stuck while also practicing trust in your own movement — that your body and spirit know how to carry you through. In life, it might mean noticing when you’re about to tumble into old patterns and instead asking: What would it look like to step past this?

The gaps don’t vanish. But we don’t have to live inside them. Healing is learning how to pause, see what’s there, and then step over — into the steady ground that’s waiting on the other side.

This blog will be a space to explore those kinds of reminders — small phrases, old stories, images from the natural world — that hold unexpected wisdom for the work of healing. Along the way, you’ll also find gentle practices for self-care, simple introductions to psychological ideas, and reflections on the harder truths we sometimes carry. My hope is that these writings offer not only comfort, but also courage: a sense that you, too, can step over the gap.

Coming to you from the San Gorgonio Wilderness in the

heart of the Mojave Desert.

Currently Offering Teletherapy

(760) 652-3551