Good Human Collab

> > Soulful Saturday 4.0 - Week #47: pace

I’ve been thinking about death a lot lately — but in the most effective way. Almost a decade ago, I took a class that tasked me to write a death plan, complete with directions on how I wanted to be remembered. And I vividly recall the flood of emotions when I wrote notes to my family, realizing there are so many things I need to tell them now. But I found solace in the uptick of gratefulness I felt for the ordinary, the extraordinary, and everything in between.

So as these thoughts are lining my every day, I read somewhere that “it feels impossible to pace ourselves” when so much is unknown… how many more days we have in this life, how many more visits we have with those who love us unconditionally, how many more sunsets we can watch with awe. And I started to think about all the ways we rush, we complain, we stay bothered. But for what? Should life really be this serious? Why is it hard to remember that worrying is just suffering twice?

I pray you enter this season and the rest of your life in a state of gratitude: one that feels authentic to the humans + things that matter deeply to you; one where you find joy in the smallest + largest ways; and one that honors the unique value + gifts you bring into this space. Pace yourself, gratefully.

> > Soulful Saturday 4.0 - Week #45: life

I was having a conversation with a student the other day. He said, “But one thing I love about life…”

My mind raced — scouring my memories to find the last time I said those words, searching for the feeling that stayed longer than a fleeting moment, rushing to remember the heaviness of the current state of humanity. Why would that phrase be a constant in my daily conversations when the divide feels unmanageable, when the rationalization of whether someone’s actions cause irreparable damage, when selfishness becomes the way to justify the harm we cause?

But maybe that is the problem. We decreased or halted talking about the things we love about life to focus on what someone else may receive, allowing fear to dictate our behavior. Our thoughts become our reality, generating a multitude of ways to create internal dysfunction, pulling our heart further from our mind. We’ve entered a space where time is of the essence — to lead with love, with courage, and with humanity.

My challenge for us is to find one daily love from life. The future is counting on us.

> > Soulful Saturday 4.0 - Week #44: room

Some of my favorite artists are pumping out music that I need to hear. It’s as if the lyrics needed to find their way to me, in the most perfect moment when I was ready to consume it. And, often, I play songs on repeat to allow the words to soak into my soul, creating this balm for the thought loops or unanswered questions.

One of the songs sang at church says, “And I will make room for you…” Those few words feel like the loudest love language — that one where someone drops everything to show up for you, where someone sits with you in silence while you cry, where someone cheers for you at full capacity because they see your brilliance, where someone expands your margin of error because they know perfection is unrealistic. It feels like the biggest blessing when we have humans who will build a chair so we have somewhere to sit, who speak about our gifts in our absence, who love us unconditionally through the suffering and victories of this human experience.

And what a gift to give that back to humanity.