You've got this.

I just responded to an email.  Of course the exact details matter a ton to the person with whom I was emailing, but my response in part struck me as being quite universal.  It's a story that I remember and helps me often in my own life and a story I've told a number of times for a number of reasons, so I thought I'd share it here :)

Shortly after she graduated college, a dear friend of mine and soon to be husband had the opportunity to go live in France.  She was at her parents home, packing and freaking out about what to bring, fitting in, how it would go, her refrain was "I don't know what to pack!  How am I supposed to know what to bring?"…  and her mom (who is lovely in all sorts of ways) went out to her garden, picked a bunch of lavender and brought it to her, waived it in front of her nose and told her to breathe.  Then she took her by the shoulders and looked her in the eyes and said firmly, "Listen to me.  I PROMISE, no matter what you put in that suitcase you will be bringing EXACTLY what you will need."  

And so it is with most things.

Breathe.

Listen.

You've got this.

Nicole