Hey, All – how are you? Really?

We are living through a historic day in the U.S. and the world. The tensions, the complacency, the forgetting of humane values, and decency. Woah, it can feel heavy.

Growing can be liberating, but hard as well.

It seems like lately, I’ve witnessed a spectrum of thought patterns, from rigid to flexible. It’s not a newsflash of the divisiveness that is present in families, friend circles, or communities. We are seeing the tides of history come towards us and some have opted to dive in and be with it, or stay on the shore and ignore it. Or, some are in the middle: they see the tide, watch it, but hangout away from it while letting others dive in.

Some of the greatest moments in history–or even in our personal lives–have come because of a rupture, a shift. There was a moment of experience, a knowing within, or an action taken, that breathed, “No, I will not be passive.”

I think that’s what can be so hard about following instinct or intuition: sometimes we feel in our core that there’s more to do before leaping. Patience. Other times, we’ve needed to move forward for a while and avoided doing so. The signs and synchronicities have been there, but we haven’t noticed them, perhaps, or we have more to heal. Or, there are building blocks that need to be in place along the way. We all have different timing.

This makes me think of two “aha” moments that have come up in the last week or so related to timing and signs. The first: a friend and I were on the phone together; they were driving and missed their exit. But they didn’t freak out and merely said, “There’ll be another one.”

The second: two days ago, I was trying to write a memo for FSW and it just wasn’t clicking. I was forcing the words and it just felt off; self-pressure kicked in and anxiety over the “perfect” message. Then Imposter Syndrome. Oh, yeah, it was a blast. That’s when Engineer piped up and said something like, “Say no to yourself…”

I stared at them for a few seconds then asked if they’d read the last post. They hadn’t and totally didn’t know what I was talking about. But what they said and its title was identical.

The way I interpret these two conversations is this. There can be multiple opportunities to shift a pattern, but when a soulful, loving statement comes your way that reinforces a new direction it helps to listen. Sure, they may come again—like my friend’s second chance exit on the freeway—but why wait?

Change is (usually) never easy. We can get so used to the status quo, doing things a certain way both individually and collectively. But it’s noticeable, People–we are shifting together, altering our larger consciousness, waking up to racism, bigotry, sexism, and outright hatred. Yes, it’s still occurring, we’re still facing it, but at least there are more people standing up, in their own way, to it.

Each individual is like a candle. As a loved one said recently, my generation is doing what their generation wasn’t ready for; the next generation will do the same. The first candle lit another, which is now lighting another, which can light another in the future.

To go back to today’s circumstance, we have it in us to shift. There is nothing that says we are permanent beings, and collectively, we can change systems. But we have to start with self-awareness and our very own actions.

And spontaneous combustion aside, a candle can’t light another if its wick is burnt out. So, let’s focus on what’s in our control for a moment, shall we?

Here are 5 Ideas (and Actions) to Consider for the Coming Hours and Days:

• I’m committing to these self-care activities in the next 72 hours: __________, __________, __________.
• I commit to lifting my anxious or heavy mood by doing __________ and __________.
• My most dear connections are _______________________. I’ll text, message, or call them with a memo of kindness and love today.
• I give myself permission to rest. I’m going to rest and relax by doing __________ for __________ minutes.
• I commit to “unplugging” from social media and the frenzy for __________ minutes/hours and treating myself to something fulfilling, like __________.

How are you faring with the tensions: internal or external? Are you getting the “Universe’s Email” to make a shift in mind, body, and soul? Speaking of, what spiritual activities do you partake in that connect you to this larger Universe, especially when things feel chaotic? If you want to share via email, contact me, or feel free to comment below. I think we have an opportunity to learn from each other these days, connect more deeply, and I am so glad to have your presence here to share in this light-giving journey together.