I’ll admit that when I started this little newsletter I thought I was going to do all of these light, breezy posts that would make everyone smile and think to themselves: “The world isn’t so bad!”

I wanted to take some of the weight off; I wanted to be that two-minute respite that, if you opened at the start of your day, could at least send you off with a little joy in your heart knowing that you aren’t alone in this place even when it’s easy to feel isolated.

Soon, though, what became clear is that I was much more interested in dragging you along on these philosophical conversations I was having with myself around perspective and community and courage and love, to name a few. Many times, those conversations were muddied by my own need to process, work things over and over and over until I can come to some clarity for myself.

Because that’s how I do the work of living.

Living is sacred to me, not in a religious sense, but in the real commitment to being present and engaged enough to honestly nurture my connection with this world in as many different ways as I can.

I think there can be value in sharing those moments.

But I struggle with if that’s really “letting a little light in,” so to speak. I struggle with the thought that instead of offering moments of comfort I’m only adding to the noise.

Am I adding to the noise? You can tell me, if so.

My invitation to you today is to think about what makes you feel connected and calm, then put yourself there using your five senses.

Where am I?

I’m at the beach down at the end of my block. The sun is shining and I can feel the start of the heat moving down until my entire body feels like it’s blanketed with a soft warmth. The gentle breeze means small waves are in my ear, slowly lapping at the shoreline. Seagulls are above and the sand feels like velvet. The air smells fresh and the bubbles of my sparkling water tingle my tongue and throat, the faint aftertaste of grapefruit reminding me of summer.

(Am I really at the beach? No. But did that little visualization exercise make me more centered and less anxious? YES.)

The Light Links

One minute Zen: Beach Day 

One minute Zen: Dog sleep

One minute Zen: Rain