We didn’t have any questions in #AskAway last night, and my family is on vacation, and it was REALLY LOUD in here, so I did nothing.
I also wasn’t sure what to say, so I said nothing. As much trouble as I get myself into for talking, I never feel bad about it? I only feel guilty the times I stay quiet. Two years ago I opened my mouth a LOT and lost half of our paying clients. I’m not going to revisit any of that (but if you want to talk anything out in Office Hours, I will gladly do so.)
In a moment when I am not comfortable staying quiet, all I can say for certain is this:
*things are wild right now, and they are going to get wilder.
*Life IS precious, and you only have one body to navigate it.
Movement can be medicinal. In wild times like this, it can be tempting to ‘release’ pent-up feelings by running until you cry. This month, I wanted to give you space for that kind of instant gratification while reminding you that doing this too often will work against you. I want to give you space to scream, and (privately! In Office Hours!) encourage you to find an outlet where your screams will lead to positive changes. I want to give you space to feel, to mourn, to yearn, and above all else- to build.
You see, Hope is a discipline. I’ve never explicitly said this, but movement has been my discipline and my source of hope since my first trauma- my dad’s heart attack when I was 5 years old. Jogging was part of his cardio rehab, the daily promise that his body could come back together into something whole. That daily practice of gentle movement while wearing a heart rate monitor started as walking, then moved to jogging then at some point we were able to run. No single workout was memorable, it was the act of DOING it that made life bearable, because it gave us a glimpse of what COULD be. That glimpse is what I think of as ‘hope’, and I see it all around me today in my mutual aid networks.
Now, in this time when it feels like things are coming loose, I hope you find movement as a way to center your mind and hold things together. I hope you are able to look away from where we ARE by getting a glimpse of what COULD be. I hope you find hope, because hope leads to all kinds of action. It is, quite literally, how we Build.
Here’s to Building everything, together.
If you have not yet joined our spaces, please do so. If you have questions, please respond to this email and I will assist as quickly as possible. And don’t forget to use Office Hours. I offer them for a reason. You, on the other hand, need no reason to use them. I have enough hope, and love, to go around.
You are coached. You are loved. In moments like this it may not feel like we are #winningatlife, and this is where the practice of finding hope becomes critical. It is my sincerest wish to help you find, and hold onto, as much as you need.
Coach MK