If your work involves caring for others, you know how easy it is to become overwhelmed by the needs around you. Each week, I share stories and practices on building the capacity, relationships, and habits to sustain care over the long haul.
It’s not fun, but this is vital: The Wednesday 1-2-3
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Hey Reader, At one of the monasteries grounded in Thich Nhat Hanh’s teachings, there’s a beautiful tradition: Throughout the day, and at seemingly random intervals, a bell chimes across the entire campus. It’s an invitation (and a norm) that everyone, including guests, pause what they’re doing and settle in for a moment of mindfulness. In the middle of a bite? Pause. In the middle of a conversation? Pause. In the middle of a lecture or teaching? Pause. It’s meant as a sometimes-gentle, sometimes-jarring disruption of the status quo — an invitation for everyone who hears it to reset their attention, check-in with their senses, and ground themselves in the here and now. It’s a ritual acknowledgment that disruption is vital. As the world events of the past week have come fast and heavy, I’ve been reflecting on how I might open myself more to the vitality of disruption: both as inner preparation to handle it in more skillful ways, but also how I might engage in acts of justice-oriented disruption with more focus and clarity. Questions that have come to mind for me:
Here’s a simple practice I’m engaging this week, and if it resonates, I hope you’ll try it. Find a small object, like a small stone or a marble, and carry it in your pocket. Whenever you feel it or remember it’s there, do two things:
If you try this out, let me know how it goes and what comes up for you! ❓ Questions
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Gentle Change
If your work involves caring for others, you know how easy it is to become overwhelmed by the needs around you. Each week, I share stories and practices on building the capacity, relationships, and habits to sustain care over the long haul.