I have a confession to make.
I think heaven might be kind of boring.
What????
I know—but hear me out.
I’ve thought about this since I was a little kid. Contemplating the “next life” was something I often wondered about. And as much as people through the eons have done their best to dream and describe what they imagined heaven to be, it all sounded kind of boring.
I’m sure with 8 billion people on the planet, there are probably 8 billion versions of what we each desire as a personal heaven.
I personally don’t really want to sit on a cloud and play a harp.
I don’t want to wear a white robe and wander through fields all day.
Maybe that would be nice for a moment…
But for eternity????
I think it would get boring pretty quickly.
Regardless of what people think heaven is like, I’ve noticed that we all tend to have one thing in common with the “heavens” we like to imagine. And the common thread is not so much about what is present in our desires as much as what ISN’T present.
So what is the common missing component?
Challenge.
Or said a few other ways…
Darkness. Shadow. Pressure. Uncertainty. Dissonance. Discomfort.
We tend to associate these traits instead with “hell”.
But what if hell is less about the presence of pain and more about our war with it?
What if the suffering comes not from the shadow itself, but from our belief that it should not be here?
So many of us spend years believing that if one more thing changed, healed, or disappeared, THEN we could finally feel peace.
If my body were just healthy…
If my job were more fulfilling…
If my partner were more romantic…
If my kids would just listen…
If people would just accept me…
THEN…I could finally thrive.
Then, it would be heaven.
But what if heaven isn’t the absence of the shadows of life?
What if heaven is when we finally stop resisting what is?
The very thing you’re trying to escape or wish away may be the doorway to the peace you want.
If this is all it takes, we can all find heaven right now—in the present moment.
And, I have a feeling that this is the life that is NOT boring.
It’s a life full of growth, unexpected surprises, and so much colorful richness—because our hearts are now open to far more possibilities.
I love this topic so much. This week on the Practicing Wholeness Podcast, I’m exploring Why We Need the Shadow.
I’ve spent most of my life resisting shadow and thinking it needs to go away—believing my deep happiness and fulfillment lie in some future moment when things are finally peaceful and perfect.
Mother Nature can teach us a lot about why we need the shadow in order to thrive.
It’s not in the way.
It IS the way.
If you’re currently carrying your own challenge in life and wishing it would disappear so you can finally feel peace, come explore this with me.
The heaven you long for may be sooner than you think.
You are loved.
Delightfully,
brooke
UPCOMING EVENTS:
Sunday, April 12, 2026
12:30-2:00 p.m. MT
Zoom
FREE
We are exploring the polarities of unconditional and conditional love and why we need both. Come with an open heart and your journal. A partial replay will air later on the podcast, but the group discussion is only for the live experience—and it’s my favorite part! Come live if it feels aligned.