This year, I’ve been working with the idea of self-compassion. It’s not a practice that comes easily and I drop the ball more often than not.
Essentially, the concept is when it comes to suffering we can attend to it with kindness or recrimination. Only one will save you. The other will eat you alive.
We all suffer in our lives and it’s not worth comparing our wounds and the ways we suffer. While perspective is important, suffering is suffering.

When thinking about teachers I am grateful for this weekend the song “Thank You” by Alanis Morissette kept popping in my head.
I’ve always thought about this song as bittersweet so I kept pushing it away.
Thanking life for all the crap it threw your way? That’s not very positive.
Thanking life for adversity? Hmmm.

The annoying truth is we don’t learn much from joy.
We embrace it. We seek it. But it’s not a great teacher.
We only change when life and circumstances force our hand. We only try something new when all our go-to options are a no-go.
Why not thank adversity?
It’s the molder, the shaper, the artist of our life.

As Alanis offers:
Thank you terror
Thank you disillusionment
Thank you frailty
Thank you consequence

There are countless choices I’ve made with my proverbial back against the wall that propelled me forward. But without the ultimatum life was offering me I wouldn’t have moved. I would’ve remained. I would’ve stayed stagnant — instead of getting brave.

Sunshine & Sarcasm,

Lowi & G