The world needs you to be alive (really, really alive)

“Don’t ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive, and go do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.” - Howard Thurman

Many thanks to my friend and colleague Niko for posting this – it’s the perfect framing idea for this season.

I think that it’s very easy to get caught up in “shoulds,” and it’s been particularly tempting to think we should be using this pandemic-constricted time to improve ourselves, tackle big projects, learn new skills, etc. etc. We are so ingrained in a culture that expects so much of us that when we largely lose the ability to control our external environment – as we have, this past year - we reflexively fill up that space with more things that we think we should be doing.

(I’m not dissing the possibility of learning new things – I’ve taken up some new hobbies this last year too. But I’m glad I ditched the ones that felt like a chore I should be doing and took up some things that make me purely happy.)

So here is a reminder to go for a walk and enjoy nature unfolding around you. Get some fresh air into your house. Plan the months ahead with optimism and go forth exuberantly, but don’t crush yourself trying to fit in every single thing you’ve been missing. Leave some space for ideas and plans and YOU to unfold gently and in good time. Breathe deeply more often. Consider what you want and what makes you come alive as surely as the trees and flowers, with sunshine and warm rain and lots of time to rest your roots in the still, dark earth.