Dear One,
What a strange dream this is. Or was that the dream? That world that seemed to run so smoothly. The smell of freshly ground coffee beans at sunrise inside Maison Kaiser. The daily hustle to the subway…the feel of a turnstile on your legs. Being greeted by the smell and grime of Midtown, like a memory now. You (almost) miss that. Dashing from meeting to meeting, the sound of clattering heels on the waxed concrete of an office floor. The top of the hour, like a stalled highway, as we all scrambled to the next gathering. Everything felt so important, so pivotal. Fast. A brief wind down at the day’s end, sharing a platter of sushi with fresh, bouncy rice across from another human that mattered to you.
Remember that beautiful quote you read that simply said, “what a year this week has been.”? It all changed so quickly. But what it’s been replaced with has the potential for real depth.
Some people are being thrust into a world they can’t deal with because they’ve never even stopped to look. Well, now is the time for all of us to open our eyes.
You awake, means you aware. And in awareness, you can behave with more intention than you ever have. The world needs your intentionality now.
When was the last time you put your pen down to investigate your
to-do list? Ok, don’t answer that. Here’s your challenge opportunity:
there are 5 categories that will serve you and the world best right now. If
something doesn’t fall within them, take it off the list.
Physical and Emotional Self Care
Put your mask on first. This is the time to truly focus on taking care of you. Be there for yourself and be present to your needs. Get out on that run, meditate, ride a bike, pray, laugh, play with your dog. And save space for the hard emotions too, honor them. All of it affirms you’re still alive, thank God!
Personal Development
Go deeper. You have so much time to learn more about yourself. What makes you, you? How can you grow and move closer to that best possible version of yourself that you dream about? The you from 2025. Connect with yourself, move towards the connection to the collective, the universe, the thing out there (whatever you want to call it). Your soul will thank you for it.
Connection
Be there for them. When loved ones call, answer. Even when it feels too busy. You can talk for 60 seconds and make sure they know you simply wanted to share a moment. If you’re thinking of someone, no matter how random, text them. Do it now. Smile at that stranger across the street. You never know what it’ll mean to them. We are here to love ourselves and each other.
Contribution
List your gifts. Even the ones you think aren’t really gifts. I promise they are! What do people tell you you’re good at, what do they come to you for? Where could that be valuable now? Give it away! There are few things in this human experience that will fulfill you more than giving. The world needs your gifts!
Learning
Explore a curiosity. Your brain wants to be kept busy. Not only will it shake up the mundane moments, it’ll keep that idle mind from going down catastrophic rabbit holes. What you don’t run, runs you.
Mindfulness and intention are a practice. And practice doesn’t make you perfect, it makes you a student.
Because in reality, dear one…how many times have you walked by that Maison Kaiser and not taken a moment to acknowledge the smell of fresh roasted beans? When was the last time you weren’t frantic at the subway because you might miss your train (fully aware the next one was 2 minutes away)? Did you really walk in the grime of midtown and express silent gratitude for this amazing city? How many meetings did you zone out of in minute 55, worried about the next one? Were you kind to people in the elevator or did you look down, too stressed to really see them? And how about dinner? Well, you get where I’m going here.
Try on intentionality for just a day. Look at your list. What’ll it be like if you keep doing this for the rest of this time? I dare you to erase some stuff. Challenge yourself to exist with intention instead of acting out the normal routine. This experience is anything but normal, what a gift.
