Occasionally I borrow from my weekly newsletters for this blog.
I’m recycling a newsletter share from earlier this year. I haven’t made any changes to the text from the original email.
I hope you enjoy it.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
This newsletter is turning into a sneak attack ... you never know when it’s going to land in your inbox.
SURPRISE and Happy Friday! 🥳
This message may seem heavy at first, but I hope by the end there will be buoyancy.
This is a message to you. To myself. To my family. To my friends and colleagues. To strangers and to everyone who I’ve ever let go of.
️Preface - Words of Wisdom
“You can’t change people, you can only love them.”
“Hope for the best, plan for the worst.”
“When you can’t stand and walk, kneel and pray.”
“Where there’s a will there’s a way.”
“Life is a balance of holding on and letting go.”
“Whether you think you can or can’t, you’re right.”
These are some of the phrases and cliches I’ve been resonating with these past few weeks.
1️⃣Chapter One - About Me
I’m ok.
I’m not ok.
Some days I am driven by positive momentum filling my sails.
Other days my tank feels empty and the fueling station is too far away.
In some moments, I feel useful, helpful and productive - bolstered by confidence. Empowered by my place in the world. Excited about what lays ahead.
In other moments, I feel helpless, unsure and overwhelmed - bogged down by the weight of certain things. Unsure of my place in the world. Frightened of what’s to come.
None of us have it all figured out. Anyone who claims to know the ideal “hack” or quick-fix to bliss is being disingenuous.
“We’re all just walking each other home.” - Ram Dass
2️⃣Chapter Two - About Us
It’s natural to want the best for someone. From our side it might be easy to identify how someone that we love should change in order to improve their short term situation or long term quality of life.
We might be able to help identify strategies for growth or paths to contentment. But those perspectives are ours, and may not translate to another person’s life.
It’s one thing to offer an ear to listen, a shoulder to lean on, or a few words of advice and comfort. It’s another thing to “should” or shame someone into our way of thinking, acting, or being.
What seems like a clear route to us might seem like an impassable dead end to another person.
Unless we know all of the circumstances, it’s nearly impossible to know what’s best for another person at any given time.
3️⃣Chapter Three - About Life
What we think we know isn’t always the whole truth.
What we think we want isn’t always what we need.
The things we wish for may not ever come to fruition.
Our grand trek through life is often disrupted and detoured by stimulus that is out of our control. Such is life as a human being. 2020 was a testament to our ability to conquer unforeseen territory.
Our life can also be derailed if our habits and daily momentum exceed our ability to skillfully manage them. Self-induced suffering is a flaw of human nature.
I’m thinking metaphorically here about my first trip down a “black diamond” ski slope. The demands of the run exceeded my ability to control my speed and direction. A painful and humiliating face plant was inevitable. I’ve face-planted plenty. I’m actually pretty good at falling. I also tend to be just as adept in getting back up and dusting myself off.
In a different context, I consider my long-term relationship with alcohol. Everything was fine until it wasn’t. There was a crash ahead and thankfully I was able to steer out of the skid. The red flags I’d ignored for years finally caught my attention.
Sometimes we pump the brakes, our reflexes win, and we can correct course. Other times, we are too far beyond a redirect and we are at the mercy of the road.
Even with a tribe who has our back, it’s our own decisions - conscious and unconscious - that ultimately determine our trajectory.
Best laid plans can abruptly disintegrate as we are forced to navigate an unexpected event or a titanic shift in our environment.
As we abandon the comfort of “the plan”, we sink, swim or tread water. We adapt, migrate, or die. We do a u-turn, find an alternate route, or we pull a Thelma and Louise. Whoa. That was a bit dark.
Sometimes these transitions come with a warning label and other times we are taken off guard. Our time to survive, thrive or move on is always coming, we just don’t know when, where, why or how.
Our consciousness is a temporary gift from [insert your belief here ... God, the Universe, Mother Earth].
We are such a small piece of the puzzle, yet we are also supremely significant when it comes to the intricate tapestry of human existence.
Every move you’ve ever made has caused a ripple in your world and someone else’s.
Every word you’ve ever said has made a mark on you or another soul.
Every thought you’ve ever had has informed your mindset and your next choice.
While I often remind people that
“you are not your thoughts”
“You are not your emotions”
“You are not your body”
... it all still matters. A lot. It's all relevant and worthy of acknowledgment.
What you do, say, think, and feel matters, and not just to you, but to everyone you’ve ever connected with in even the smallest way. It mattered then and it still matters today.
Your physical life is temporary, but your energetic impact is permanent.
Experiences are transient, but memories are lasting.
Everything fades, but not without an imprint.
Your presence, your insights, and your messages matter. Your ideas, perspectives, inputs and outputs make a difference.
You are seen.
You are heard.
You are needed.
You are valuable.
You are incomparable.
We are connected.
4️⃣Chapter Four - A Pact for the Willing
I will not try to change you, but I will help you through change if you want me to.
I will push you to test the edges of your comfort zone, but I won’t force you beyond them.
I will be an enthusiastic cheerleader or a constructive critic, when the scene calls for it.
I will shelter you in the storm, but I will also hold your feet to the fire if need be.
Though it all, I trust and expect you’ll do the same for me and your community.
Thank you for reading my words and sharing a bit of yourself with me. We’re in this together. 🪢
Take care and stay curious. ~ Sara
