A Few Thoughts about Early 2021
After the events in Washington, D.C. on Wednesday afternoon, I've noticed a combination of wariness and weariness amongst my loved ones. I'm in it, too. Are you?
It feels like we can't catch a break, right? Like we keep fighting, we keep trying, and the hardship and injustice we've been grappling with seem just as looming and implacable as ever. I find myself clinging to moments of beauty and hope, jealously guarding a thimble full of rain in the desert.
If you're with me: please, please take care of yourself. However you can. And look, I’m at least somewhat aware of the optics of yet another yoga teacher chirping about self-care when it feels like the world is on fire. It takes a lot of privilege to give (and receive) that message.
But also: if you've ever watched someone you love get swallowed up by the pain of the world, or by ideology, by depression, by anger, by lethargy, by helplessness... then you know the world needs us to be bigger. And I think that comes from inside.
"Live this year as if your needs were just as valid as anyone else's." This was actually one of the pieces of wisdom I got from my future self this year. I wasn't expecting it and I kind of don't like it, but I'm not the one who has lived through 2021 yet, so I'm going to listen.
Self-expression and connection to others are two significant needs for me. They are also some of the easiest for me to ignore. I’m a homebody and introvert by nature, which means I will occasionally and accidentally go for many days without speaking directly to someone outside of my family. And I tend not to share my thoughts until I deem them fully and perfectly formed. (Join me in some hearty laughter, my artist friends.) Furthermore, I can always make excuses not to meet these needs; there is laundry to be done, sweet potatoes to chop, a toddler to keep alive, etc.
All worthy tasks! But I wonder what would need to shift if I made self-expression and connection just as worthy.
I’m planning to find out by posting here at least once a month. And if you’re reading this, you’re now my accountabili-buddy, which means you are supporting me in an effort I find meaningful. Thank you for that. If you’d like, leave me a comment below to let me know how I can return the favor.