Balancing our lives with external events

Here in the United States, we once again find ourselves in a painful juxtaposition: on one end, cookouts and festivities and a holiday that's all about honoring freedom; on the other end, another weekend filled with more division and tragedy and yet another troubled young man inflicting senseless violence during what should have been a joyful day of celebration. 

How do we continue living our lives, while also staying awake to all that is happening around us and taking action where we can? 

It continues to feel like a tricky balance within the context of our current world. 

What we can do: 

• We can take care of ourselves so we can show up at our best for ourselves, and for others.

• We can do things that are real and tangible — we can plant a garden (or perhaps a single herb), write a note to a friend, deliver a meal to someone, say happy birthday, pull some weeds, notice the beauty around us.

• And we can take conscious action on the things we care about most. We likely can't fix all of the things at the same time, but we can pick one thing and then we can do something.

Here's an image from Expansive Impact to reflect what this can look like, in case it's a helpful point of reflection. 

Unrelated: amidst all of the tough stuff, there have been many bright spots too. Here are a few from over here; what are some of yours?

• Ice cream. Lots and lots of ice cream—or, in the words of my precious niece, “a cold treat on a hot summer day.” 

• A wonderful addition to the Zing Collaborative team who is a great fit and a delightful human. 

• Two young women in the neighborhood who I hire periodically for help with odds and ends, both high school seniors, who are responsible and kind and delightful and who offer hope for the future. 

• The fact that the garden is growing (!!), despite planting it a bit late, from seed, and not really being sure how it would all pan out. 

• Bunnies frolicking everywhere.

• Birds in magnificent colors.