Let’s face it, life, especially in the USA, has felt polarized and chaotic. Even Mother Nature seems to agree. Forest fires from Montana to California, and TWO Category 4 Hurricanes making landfall in a matter of weeks.
This is NOT a political message, this is a call to action.
Because when I think about the devastation in Houston, along the coasts in Florida and in swaths of land across the west, the message seems loud and clear.
All it took was seeing the Facebook video of the line of pickup trucks towing boats toward Houston to know.
These disasters are a reminder for us to come together.
It's time for us to put our differences – be they race, gender, ethnicity, political view, education or religion – to the side and remember that underneath all of that, we are all human beings who share the same needs and wants.
If you’re ready to lay down those outer differences and step back into a bigger picture, and if you’re willing to hold a higher vibration, here a 3 actionable steps you can take right now:
1. Reach Out
Who in your community needs support or help?
Wherever you are – from New York City to Santa Barbara, Cape Town to Wellington- there are people and animals who are suffering.
Contact a local shelter, community organization or religious institution. Maybe a food pantry needs donations or volunteers. Perhaps an elderly neighbor could use some help raking leaves. The local pet shelter might need dog walkers.
Don’t have time? Find a local organization or environmental cause you care about and make a financial donation.
2. Start A Conversation
For all that technology has enhanced our lives, it’s made it easier for us to ignore true human interaction. I’m talking real face-to-face time.
Make it a goal to meet ONE new person a week.
It could be in the supermarket, at church, at a yoga class… and beam love at him or her. This isn’t about trying to find common ground or being persuasive, it’s simply about showing up as the embodiment of love.
Because if we really want to shift the vibration of our world, we all have to step into the frequency of love.
3. Find A Bigger Pond
What, apart from your family and job, are you passionate about? Arts? Social Justice? The environment? Is there a cause that you’d like to see transformed or well funded? How could you get involved?
Last weekend, I went to a free theater production of The Odyssey, a musical based on Homer’s classic epic. It was done by Public Works Seattle, an organization committed to being theater of by and for the people.
Nearly the entire cast was volunteers (except for the main parts) and came from their partner organizations: local Boys & Girls Clubs, senior centers, and homeless transition programs. The performance was fun, professional and inspiring.
And it's exactly what I’m talking about, being a part of something bigger than you.
What do you say?
It’s so easy to fall into us versus them thinking, or to feel like everyone is doing better than you. But if you’re ready to move that aside, there’s plenty to do. And as we come together and celebrate each other, we not only heal ourselves, we heal one another.
Are you ready?