Hi, friend.
Well… I got no tips. But maybe I can be an example instead.
There is a deep knowing in my body that it’s time to be quiet, to put down everything that’s put-downable, and to focus on taking care of my health in a real and sustained way. My body has been asking me for this for many years, and now she is more like telling me. She's yelling and swearing and slamming doors and doing the shit teenagers do when the adults don't listen to them. She's been sneaking out at night to go smoke Parliaments behind the Shell station.
I have not been listening. But I am listening now.
And so, I'm carefully folding the most necessary and tender pieces of my life into a manageable shape that fits in the palm of my hand, and letting go of the rest, for now.
I’m taking a sabbatical from all my public-facing work – writing this newsletter, podcasts, speaking, Instagram, workshops I've got in development.
My thinking, rational mind is deeply concerned about this decision, because of a story I’ve told myself: in order to make a living in the future, you must stay visible and valuable to the people who pay attention to your work. You worked too hard to build this life. If you let it go, you might never get it back.
When we use our thoughts to override what our bodies are trying to communicate, thinking – even brilliant thinking – is actively harmful. Any tool can be a weapon, and I wonder how many of us who are really good at thinking are sometimes also slowly dying by our own hand.
This doesn’t mean “unless you’re really, really scared to do what your body tells you to do because what if your life falls apart THEN WHAT?!!”
It means what it means. And I stand by it.
And also: what if that story I’ve told myself, about what I must do to be safe, isn’t true?
Which leads to an even bigger question: what other stories have I been telling myself that might not be true?
And, what old pieces of myself might need to be pruned back, burned down, or donated to Cosmic Goodwill in order to make space for something new to grow?
These are questions worth considering.
I’ll be back when my body has something different to say. In the meantime, take care of yourselves and each other. I'm sending love across time and space.
