Reflection, Beauty and Community: A Powerful Remedy for Stressful Times

We all want to feel good.  As humans, we are actually wired to move our decisions and actions toward what is good.  

But by the time we're in our middle age, we have multiple competing demands for our time, attention and resources.  The word "multiple" is probably an understatement, right?  And now we have to vote.  And wonder about the outcome.  Life can quickly feel overwhelming and not good.  

It's easy to want to either go hide under the blanket or put your head down and get to work, forcing it all done without stopping to take a breath (or eat and sleep).  

This is your LIFE and neither of those options do I want for you!  You have so much to offer to the world.  We need you!  

But we need a resilient and healthy you.  

There are many ways to build wellness and resilience.  I'd love to teach you a lot of them.

Given the tension and stress "in the air" and the negativity on tv, in our feeds, maybe even from friends and family, today I want to offer a solution that invites us to draw from the less-productive parts of ourselves.  The parts of us that are designed to not only see beauty but let it touch us deeply.  The parts of us that know we need others, even if we don't always agree with them.  And the parts that just need to slow down for a minute and recognize a single thought in our own head without a million other worries and plans competing for airtime.  

I was fortunate that the Water Lantern Festival came to my town.  I was invited by my friend and, as usual, I had a million things to do.  But in a moment of wisdom, I put all of those things down and showed up to a beautiful evening.  It provided me with the space to reflect on the year that we are rounding the corner to finish and look to the year ahead and examine what I wanted to release and wish for with my lantern.  I had the space to be creative and draw and color (not my strong suit but fun when I don't judge!) as I decorated the vessel.  And the best part was a comment another Festivalgoer shared.  He said, "I look at all of these people, all so different.  But we're all here together, enjoying a beautiful evening.  My dream is that one day, life together will look like this every day."  

It was a beautiful evening.  We were all just humans together, looking for the good.  Having space to reflect and dream, together as a community.  May we all find the light in the world and in each other.  It doesn't have to be perfect.  But it can be good.