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Hello, friends, I sometimes attend a daytime gathering called Daybreaker – part yoga, part dance, part joyful celebration of community. It begins with a yoga practice, followed by dancing, healthy snacks, and connection. Each event has a unique theme – at the last one I attended, there were prompt cards scattered around the space, each with a quote on one side and a question on the other. The card I picked asked:
“How will you grow what is already good?” That question resonated with me. So much so that I’ve kept that card prominently on my desk for months now! And today, I’m sharing some thoughts about it. I’ll admit to you, dear reader, that there are things in the world breaking my heart (and making me angry). It’s so easy to get swept up in that heartbreak and the seeming chaos of the world – the endless news cycle, the next most urgent crisis, the doomscrolling, the media cacophony. Our nervous systems are wired to scan for danger, to pay attention to what’s wrong – it’s an ancient survival mechanism. They aren’t broken; we’re simply not designed to live in a state of hypervigilance and “fight or flight” all the time. What if, instead, we paused with an intention to reset and refocus? What if we put down the phone, turned off the news, and came home to ourselves – to remember what’s important? What if – instead of absorbing the external upsets – we flipped the script and chose to grow what is already good? grow (verb) — to cultivate; to develop or increase gradually; to allow something to unfold through care and attention.
We don’t need to reinvent the wheel every day. There’s always good present in some way…
… in small daily rituals or self care practices
… in quiet moments of mindful breath
… in the delicious smells drifting from a bakery (or your kitchen, perhaps?)
… in connection and laughter shared with loved ones
… in noticing the way sunlight dances through the bright autumn leaves
… in stopping to watch the sunrise/sunset I featured some community goodness in my mid October newsletter. When we focus our energy toward the change we want to be – or grow – in the world, we reclaim our power. We stop feeding the 24/7 media circus that competes for our attention and start tending to what truly matters. We can’t possibly fix all that’s wrong or broken, and this world will certainly still break our hearts from time to time. But we can nurture beauty, goodness, and change in our own lives, in our own circles. We can choose to invest our time and care in the things that matter most deeply to us. Yoga helps me return to that place – the place that reminds me what’s good, what’s working, what’s worth nurturing. But it doesn’t have to be yoga. It can be any practice that grounds you, focuses you, and calls you home to yourself and your purpose. So, I’ll leave you with the same question that’s been echoing for me:
How will you grow what is already good?
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