09/17/2025
Every year at the end of the growing season, some of my outdoor plants begin to let go. It’s a profound reminder to let go and release with grace what no longer serves us. That change is happening, and we don’t have to fight it but just flow with it.
After a few days away this weekend I came back to see my 2 blooming daisies starting to go right alongside the growth of 2 new ones. One in bloom, one small, new and tightly in its bud. New life.
When grief happens upon us, whether at the micro level of our individual lives or at the macro level of our collective lives as a country, it can feel overwhelmingly devastating. Violence, bigotry, ideological divisiveness and hatred run rampant and seem to be playing on repeat. As hard as it is to find any common ground amongst people who disagree with one another, it is much harder to maintain faith and hope in the process of feeling like the world is crumbling around us.
No matter what you think you believe or understand to be true, or what “side” you land on, we are all grieving. That’s a common ground we all have. A side we are all familiar with.
So let’s start there.
It can be tempting to let anger, fear, hatred, bigotry and prejudice take over. These are all the heaviest of energies. They can become addictive as we let them settle in. They feel like power in a time when we are all scared and feeling powerless.
We insist upon our own ideologies as the truth. But if we look a bit deeper, we can also acknowledge that our own truth is always subjective. Because it is ours alone.
I don’t have to agree with a person’s ideology or beliefs to stay in my peace. As long as communication can be established and maintained with healthy parameters, I can hear what another person believes to be true.
Some may become inexplicably angry reading this. Some may use the comments to direct that anger at me. I have learned a secret: comments on social media, good or bad, do not belong to us. Even when they’re directed at us. They belong to the author. We can appreciate the love given. We can release the rest.
For me, I know It’s not mine to take in and integrate. Any of it, really. It’s not my business. I know who I am. I know what I am here to do. And I will not allow that lower level s**t into my energetic space.
As a professional healer for 30 years, whether in clinical settings or holistic, this is the skill I utilize to sustain. And it’s something we must all do now to sustain, no matter what your vocation.
From 2020 to now, we are all burnt out on keeping the faith. Another commonality amongst every single one of us. The hits keep coming. It’s a scary time. We feel powerless and desperate for a glimmer of hope.
So what do we do?
We keep it simple.
We love the people we hold dear harder, for all those who have lost their own too soon to violence of any kind.
We treat ourselves kindly and gently, knowing it’s a hard time for everyone. We do our best to treat others kindly and gently, knowing it’s a hard time for everyone.
We use our energy and words wisely.
We take breaks. We take breaths. We repeat.
We remember to breathe fresh air.
We remember to just breathe.
We do acts of love and gratitude right in our little corner of the world, even if it doesn’t feel far reaching. We do them again. And again.
We use our love to sustain ourselves and those we love, but strangers too. We accept that we can’t help/reach/be understood by everyone and we don’t have to. All we have to do is return to grace, daily. Starting within ourselves, and extending outward.
Take a deep breath, loves. We got this. God is not done with us. Not by a long shot. Love wins. But first, our very stubborn and hard headed human selves are being called to learn higher lessons.
Sam Cooke said it once, and said it best.
It's been a long
A long time coming, but I know
A change gon' come
Oh yes, it will
Go blast this legend of a song in your car today. Sing it with the windows open. We don’t care if you’re in tune or in key. We just want to hear your voice.
Love you all.
Nik
🤍🙏🏼