Find a way to dance during this epic sh*t show

Hey it’s me staci b!

There’s no denying we are living through what could be defined as an epic sh*t show. It’s really a cacophony of death rattles because there is a lot preparing to die.

The belief that being white is superior. The belief that males are better than females. The belief that gender is real. Or that a “job” is the only way to be financially secure.

Also on the chopping block - the tradition of having to work a billion hours a week for very little money in order to “earn” your place. The addiction to things staying the same for fear of what change may bring. The drive to judge, to find someone to be deemed “less than” to make ourselves feel better. The assumption that the only health that’s important is physical.

These are all things in the macrocosm. Trust me, there’s plenty preparing to die in your individual microcosm as well. All to make room for more equity and alignment with who you really are - without the masks, fronts and lies.

There is often a rally right before death. An illusion of vitality and a determination to survive. Ultimately, it is just an illusion. But the knowledge that death is inevitable can make us feel powerless. And choices made from a place of feeling powerless can be dangerous.

Before you choose how you will participate in this sh*t show - picketing, protesting, donating to political campaigns you believe are aligned with your values, eliminating certain friendships, cutting off family - I encourage you to first immerse yourself in the good that remains in this world.

Cut out the news for a week. Stay off social media. Stop listening to podcasts that cause your adrenaline to pump. You have no idea how the energy of those choices anchors itself in your mind and body. Fill yourself up with what makes you FEEL good.

Here are some of the things I do:

• watch segments from CBS Sunday Morning, which often highlight amazing and creative endeavors. And I skip over the current events clips.

• remind myself of the courage of my gender and the brilliance of art.

• create a playlist of music I love on Spotify. And listen to it. A lot. (nothing like a little Bossa Nova to get your blood pumping and your heart singing).

• read incredible stories of resiliency and inspiration from Humans of New York.

• engage in intimate conversations with people I love about the work we are doing and our passions.

• watch comedy on YouTube.

• read books that are entertaining (The Lost Apothecary, Richard Osman’s Thursday Murder Club series) and educational (Stolen Focus by Johann Hari, Becoming Trader Joe by Joe Coulombe).

I’m not saying - don’t DO anything. I’m inviting you to put yourself in a place of of balance BEFORE you make a choice so it’s not done from a place of feeling powerless. It will make all the difference because it enables you to bring more of what you really want to see in the world instead of anger, rage and chaos, which only perpetrates the very thing we say we want to eliminate.

I’m not perfect at this. I’m learning too. But I am very aware of how I FEEL when I allow the chaos to permeate my field and the length of time it takes to right my ship. That’s a price I’m no longer willing to pay.

Til next week…