Dear one!
Hello from Bozeman, Montana! I've missed connecting with you over the summer, but so appreciate the gift that time away allows. If you've been with me for a while, you know that each summer I step away from blogging to slow it down and be with my rapidly growing kids.
But I'm really looking forward to getting back to sharing weekly blogs about health, spirituality, mental wellness, and all that deepens the meaning of life with you.
We've landed in Montana. We are settling into the slower pace of Bozeman. Though it felt difficult to leave Boulder, a town and community we love, especially for the kids, it feels really nice to be getting our bearings here.
Tony Robbins discusses how every one of us has 6 human needs. They are:
Certainty
Significance
Variety
Love/Connection
Growth
Contribution
This shift for us has really been about Growth and Variety for us. After a year of much thought, we knew this was our chance to prioritize these two values for the sake of our family and our individual selves.
Here are 3 lessons that I'm already in the midst of learning as a result of our change.
Your community is global.
I remember hearing Gary Zukav speak about how what happens in what we think of as our community, (our subset of friends, neighbors, family who help us take care of our plants, kids, and lives) is that we leave people OUT.
It was a different spin on community that I hadn't heard before. I'd always associated forming community as such a positive. What happens, he says, is that we stick to only people, families, couples, etc., that are exactly like we are. Those who think like we do, live like we do, are around our same age, and in most cases, look like we do.
We get so obsessed with building and fitting into this community, that we're rarely aware of who is on the fringes -- what children, neighbors, new or diverse people -- are not a part of our community. And they aren't sure how to get in.
Because we are new, it is easier to be open to every single person we meet. People are inherently good and having to find a new place for ourselves reminds me that there are kind souls everywhere. Change like this has reminded me already that you can build a life anywhere.
Change brings lightness of spirit.
Because I hardly know where to buy food or get gas, I am more open minded with how my day unfolds. This is part of the beauty that change brings - OPENNESS.
Most of us live our lives, most of the time, chasing objectives. I know I'll be there soon once we have a more regular routine.
But for this brief moment in time, I feel a lightness of spirit. There's not so much certainty in how I "have to workout," or what I "have to get done for the day." Because everything is so new, gripping like that would only cause us angst. Flowing with the newness brings about a change of state.
Our collective gentler state is precisely why variety can be so important. Despite what we might think, it's our state that dictates how our life unfolds more than anything else.
Let go to let God.
It's one of Wayne Dyer's regularly repeated biblical quotes that comes to me now. There's been a lot of letting go in our lives this summer. From friends, family, our house, my tidy lil office, my bathtub (!), the route the kids take to school, and more, we've let so much fade away.
Letting go isn't easy.
But it is one sure way to open yourself up to the spiritual aspects of life. Sometimes we falsely believe that we have more control than we actually do. We create certainty for ourselves this way and it often isn't until we have a harsh wakeup call that we realize life is inherently groundless.
When we let go of our habits and even soften our identity, we welcome the opportunity to flow with life as opposed to imposing our ideas onto every step. We welcome in some of that feminine wisdom of RECEIVING instead of forcing every part of our lives.
So, dear friend, how is VARIETY and GROWTH being met in your life right now? It doesn't have to be a change in city to make an impact. Even moving furniture around can make you feel like a new person!
Here's to ALL of our changes, both big and small. May they inspire our spirits to come forth.
Thrilled to be connecting with you on the regular again.
Love,
