Together

   Woke up to a brilliant blue sky day. After teaching a yoga class, a friend who was in class reached out to let me know something awful. A mutual friend had taken her own life on Saturday. The breath caught in my throat. Tears welled up. I had known her as part of a women’s professional group- we met on Tuesday nights once a month at each other’s homes to laugh, talk about our business and personal lives. We also had both worked at CNN and had both left to start our own ventures. Over the years she often seemed to be searching, like many of us are. Honestly, we didn’t know each other that well. The friend who gave me the horrible news said she had a lot of recent struggles. We hadn’t spoken in years. 

  Let this be a reminder- those who smile the brightest may also be struggling the most. Like Kate Spade, Robin Williams, Anthony Bourdain- all famous people we assume had it all going on- in fact no one has it all going on. We all feel at times lost, rejected and/or the pain of this world. To get through it we need each other. We need to take care of each other. Gathering in groups where it is safe to show ourselves- to say- I am struggling, I am in pain- and allow others to see aspects of yourself that you hide (the shadow self) can be helpful. In safe spaces you can give and receive comfort to be able to heal and know we are not alone.

   We are seeing so many people leaving the planet at this time-  either due to physical sickness or something else- a soul sickness that makes this unbearable lightness of being just too much.

   One of my life rafts is poetry. It never fails me.

   In the poem “The Sunflowers” Mary Oliver invites the reader to come visit the shy sunflowers- “they want to be friends”- “their bright faces, which follow the sun, will listen, and all those rows of seeds- each one a new life- hope for a deeper acquaintance; each of them, though it stands in a crowd of many, like a separate universe, is lonely, the long work of turning their lives into a celebration is not easy. “

   The long work of being human too, is not easy.

   To truly become who you really are- to break from society and family conditioning can also be lonely and it’s strewn with obstacles- many of them put in place to prevent you from being who you really came here to be. 

    I read this yesterday “no one else understands your calling, it wasn’t a conference call.” This speaks to the tough work each of us has come here to do.

   The key is doing it together, whether with a trusted friend, family member, therapist or health coach.

We need to take care of each other.

   If reading this prompts you to pause today and call someone you think may be struggling, or to reach out for help if you need it, it will be worth it.

Sending you love today, and all days.

💞

Kelley