APRIL 29, 2020 BY CASSANDRA JOHNSON
Life being too short and precious, experiencing grief and seeing it unfold reminds me how I want to appreciate what we have. I think about how I want to approach each goal and how I want to simply live and share without overthinking it and without dismissing opportunities.
Whether it be future travels, social connections, or our livelihoods, I’m sure we all have unique expressions to continually bring to the world. This is a place you can always share yours.
This has been a sad time for the world collectively, on every imaginable level. This has also been a time of resilience and revelation. We could take the time to reexamine our goals. We could become better at old skills, learn some new ones. We could take a moment, work on reducing stress and getting rest. We could take care of our souls. I think one part of staying healthy and whole is being aware of the right choices for ourselves as often as possible – figuring out what is true for us and void of external influences. Though we are irreplaceable to one another and we need our environment and our community, awareness can go a dangerous way. We may have found this out very early, when we were in school and perhaps became painfully aware of some difference between us and other classmates. We may have felt it and not been able to verbalize it.
When I wrote similarly about this a few days ago, it seemed as easy as “being true to yourself”. The harder part I know is doing that in the context of working not to be judged, trying not to fail and making sure to have all your needs met. For me, that means I equally haven’t taken 100 percent of the risks which I knew weren’t technically dangerous. The biggest threat was to the seeming comfort of not standing out. However, I’m pleased to have grown older and earned my “RiskySafeTravels”, when for seemingly inexplicable reasons, I don’t question my initial good instincts.
Risks seem tiny and large from day to day even in something like sharing an interest, defending someone, or me dancing before the club has officially transitioned from dinner to party hour.
I never want to encourage others or myself to take risks that put their lives or anyone else’s life in danger, nor take any risks that would alter their social or financial ability to live securely. However, I venture to encourage us to pay attention to natural joy. My joy seemed stifled from time to time, conforming in unwelcome circumstances. I see joy as not being secured from anything purchased or some great compliment we can receive. True, we can delight in such pleasure and appreciate it, but in me, it’s those times of being okay or getting to being okay, no matter what. Self-acceptance and acceptance of others, being creative, immersed in a passion project and talent, it’s just there. It’s just there, complementing a sense of well-being, providing peace and welcoming the kind of challenges that help us grow rather than drain us.
With even more time to reflect, I am interested in taking bigger chances on some skills and experiences I’ve played with just a little here and there. I’m playing two roles this week. One is employee and the second is owner. No surprise that the second needs some more focus. 😊 Not that it’s any less commendable to enhance a quality organization’s mission statement, but truly important to remember your own.