14/12/2025
Holiday Patry
I was invited to a holiday party by a group of people - let’s say, from my own bubble 🙂
I wasn’t quite sure what to expect. I was traveling to a completely new place, to a new city I had never been to before.
I saw many familiar faces and met several new people. There is an incredible strength in women - especially women in their 50s, 60s, and 70s - when they share their courage and life experience with other women in such an authentic way.
There is also immense power in how they show up. These women - older than me, more experienced in the field - never make me feel that difference. I am treated as an equal. Their way of being - kind, welcoming, inviting, accepting, open to sharing themselves and their experience - is something truly extraordinary to witness and to receive.
I also can’t remember the last time I was hugged like that in such a setting- so genuinely, so sincerely, from the heart. A hug that didn’t rush, that allowed itself to linger.
Globally, so many difficult things are happening. We are so deeply deprived of tenderness and love that moments like these take on an entirely different meaning.
My first few moments at this gathering were total overload - so many people, new faces, noise, overlapping voices. After ten minutes, I wanted to run away. But then, as my system adapted, I found myself in conversations filled with meaning, kindness, and mutual encouragement. And all of that overwhelm faded away.
This, too, is a form of nervous system regulation - being in a situation while staying mindful, awakening curiosity, and choosing kindness toward others.
I will remember this time for a long while.
And it turns out I don’t have a single photo from this party. Again. Another sign that more and more often, I am simply here and now. Not even thinking about taking a picture for memory - just being with people.
