Today We Rest, Tomorrow We Rise
How to live each day in the light
I’ve had to take a moment this week. We live in an America in which we can’t talk about politics without it burning a bridge between us and our neighbors. And for many, between their families. I think there is dread inside many of us. Having to see it all play out.
I stumbled upon this word over a decade ago, “catastrophize.” It is essentially imagining the worst outcome in a situation. And by doing so, you create a state of anxiety and depression. Almost as if it has already occurred. This used to be a bad habit of mine. I had to wait years in between my daughter’s open heart surgeries and some days I found myself imagining what I would do if the worse happened. They say you do this to practice dealing with it. To know you would be okay. But truthfully, you immerse yourself in dread and it takes over the present. You essentially create the very state of mind you hope to avoid.
We have a good blueprint of where our minds will go when history repeats itself. We know how we felt, and how we reacted. We remember the lack of kindness and anger that hit our communities. We felt all of it. And we had no control over it. We had to watch it like a trainwreck.
Yet, I’m surrounded by good people and am part of generous communities of artists. At our core, we all want to provide for our families. We all want equality and freedom to live our best lives.
When we tap into the things we love, we shine. We can lean into creating things and let go of the what-ifs. The more we create, the more we are present. The more we fear or catastrophize, the more out of control the world feels. It takes us out of today and puts us in a future that does not yet exist, but it steers us toward it.
Be creative daily. Take time for yourself each day - whatever that means for you. Putting a paintbrush in your hand, making a new recipe, molding clay in between your fingertips, writing - it all puts your mind in the present. It shines a light. You always have to find your own light in the darkness. It is not always easy. But come up with a list of all the things that excite you to work on. Use it as a map back to yourself daily when you need it.
I used to have a “touchstone” book in my early 20s. There was a time when I felt very alone. Lost. Somedays I would wake up and I didn’t feel like doing anything. Like I was afloat at sea with nothing in my reach. Untethered. So I started a journal where I would collect quotes, write passages, and glue in found tidbits. All those things awoke something in me. And when I would open the book and read the pages, it would pull me back in. It would remind me of the places I had found in myself.
I plan to share more in the coming year. I want to use this space as a new touchstone. I place of respite. A place to share the things I find in the world that excite, teach, and inspire me. I would love for others to share as well. I think we all feel a lot. We all need community and to know we are not alone.
I stumbled upon this book over the weekend. It held all my found summer treasures dried between the pages. All the best treasures are found beneath the trees, on the beach, and in your backyard. Just look at that seaweed. It is like a plate of glass from an old church window. Collecting new foliage is what gets me out the door these past mornings. Well, that, and a very vocal pug dog named Midge. She liked to eat the foliage. She was found in a field and I feel she might have survived on it for a time. I can’t quite figure out how to break that habit of hers.
On morning walks, I listen to my favorite podcasts. I recently rediscovered “A New Earth” with Oprah and Echart Tolle (a spiritual teacher). I am always intrigued by spiritual teachings. We are always searching for meaning and there are so many beautiful ways of seeing the world. This series is thought-provoking. But most of all, it provides tools to find a bit of peace in the midst of chaos.
There are many “Soul Conversations” on her podcast to dive into.
Or if you get OWN TV, you can stream it online.
Until next time. ✨ Kim