Mindful Monday: The Universe is Talking, Are We Listening?

I feel like the universe has been yelling at us, at society as a whole, to slow down, spend more time with our family, and learn to be content with being still. I mean, wasn't that the "takeaway" of 2020? 

And only two months into 2021, we found ourselves trapped at home again. Only this time, the absence of power, water and food were thrown into the mix. 

Were we too quick to forget the lessons from 2020? Did we just rush into finding a new normal that we didn't take away anything we learned along the way? 

This last week was a huge wakeup call to refocus on what's truly important and a startling reminder to focus on what we can control. 

Saying I'm exhausted is an understatement. And while my week was no picnic, I know good and well others had it worse. Yes, we lost power dozens of times over the course of four days; however, I know many lost power for days and days. Yes, we have had to boil our water for the last several days and will have to continue to do so for the foreseeable future, but I also know that many have had no running water. At the end of the day, I just want to say that  I. See. You. 

To say this last week as been hard doesn't begin to describe what we went through and experienced. At this point, I would imagine that many of you may very well be in a similar headspace and are just trying to make it, just trying to get our footing, trying to figure out when groceries will be back in stock, and when I don't have to worry about running out of clean water. 

I do want to leave you with this thought. Over the course of the last year, we have talked a lot about the importance of self-care. Perhaps we need to shift to the importance of overall wellness, as sometime self-care can seem indulgent. Please, please make your wellness, both physical and mental wellness, a priority. Continue to give yourself grace, allow yourself time to process, and don't feel guilty when you make you and your family a priority. 

​As for the universe, we hear you loud and clear. We need to care for each other more. We need to continue to keep our family and friends our true priority. We need to slow down. And we could all live our lives with a little more gratitude.