You’re reading this in early October, at the beginning of fall in the Western Hemisphere. The days are shorter, the air is cooler, and the season is asking us to slow down. This is the rhythm of nature: turning inward, conserving energy, preparing for rest.
And yet, the culture we live in—driven by capitalism and its demand for constant growth—asks the opposite of us. This time of year, especially in the nonprofit world, is when everything speeds up. End-of-year appeals. Giving season campaigns. The relentless push for “more.”
As a founder, I hold a deep tension here. I long for our organization to embody a different way of being, one that honors rest, enoughness, and rhythm. At the same time, we can’t ignore that resources are necessary to keep going, and that means we sometimes have to play within the rules of a game we didn’t create. Some days, it feels like being caught in a spider’s web—wanting to live and lead differently, but knowing there are limits to how far outside of the system we can step.
Maybe you feel a version of that too…in your family, in your work, in your own body. The sense of being pulled toward a slower, truer way of life, while also navigating the demands of a culture that refuses to slow down.
What grounds me in this tension is remembering that we’re not doing this alone. Together, in this ecosystem, we are practicing something different. Even when we can’t break free completely, we can weave lives that are more rooted in care, in responsibility, and in one another.
So, as we enter this final quarter of the year, my invitation is to notice where you can align more with the pace of the season. To choose slowness where you can. To honor rest when it calls to you. And to remember that every step we take together toward living differently is part of the work of liberation.
With gratitude for each of you,
Toi Smith
