Crawling Is Still Forward 🐾
"Fall seven times, stand up eight." — Japanese Proverb
There’s something sacred about the crawl.
“I will rise, even if I must crawl first.”
It doesn’t look strong. It doesn’t look glamorous. It’s not the kind of moment people post about. But it’s real. And often, it’s the most honest moment in a healing journey.
I remember a season where “getting up” didn’t mean making art or finding clarity. It meant brushing my teeth. Opening a window. Answering one text.
Everything in me ached. Not physically, but existentially. Like I had sunk so far into myself, I forgot where the surface even was.
And yet… I kept crawling.
That crawl is what kept me alive.
That crawl is what got me here.
Sometimes we think healing must look like momentum; like a sunrise after a storm.
But it rarely does.
More often, it looks like patience. Resistance to collapse.
The stubborn decision to keep going, even when you’re not sure why.
Rising isn’t a one-time act. It’s a thousand tiny choices.
And if today, all you can do is crawl…
Crawl with your eyes half-open and your heart half-broken. That still counts.
Here’s your invitation today…
Ask yourself:
“What does rising look like for me today—not in theory, but in my current emotional reality?”
Now strip away what should be on the list.
Pick one small act that whispers: I haven’t given up yet.
Make a meal.
Drink some water.
Take a shower.
Tell the truth.
The size doesn’t matter. The direction does.
"Fall seven times, stand up eight." — Japanese Proverb
It’s not the fall that defines you. It’s the quiet insistence to keep returning to your feet, however slowly, however shakily.
Have you had a “crawling season”? The kind where progress didn’t feel like growth, but like survival?
What got you through?
Or if you’re in it now, what’s helping you hold on?
Let this space hold your story, even if it’s messy. Especially if it’s messy. We rise better when we rise together.
You don’t have to run today. You don’t even have to stand tall.
You just have to begin again.
Crawling is not failure.
It’s the beginning of flight in slow motion.
Let that be enough.
And if you need to rest… rest.
But don’t mistake rest for regression.
You are still on the path.
And one day, without even realizing it, you’ll look up and realize… you’ve risen.
Thanks for reading today’s Healing Text.
If you’re here, you’re part of something honest, something that makes space for healing without the performance. And I don’t take that lightly.
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With gratitude,
— Ryan Puusaari ☕💛