There are moments, days, weeks or maybe even years that the thing you want most is quiet. Solitude. A moment to reflect. Time to gather yourself and be able to make sense of life, the world, yourself, through your lens only. Through your heart only.
There are times when everyone else’s voice, thoughts, take, and opinions are quite simply noise. All those offerings are often well-intentioned but not always necessary.

As Gandhi said, “Speak only if it improves upon the silence.”

Over the weekend, I gave myself a bit of a social media diet. I am not saying I never logged on, because I did. But it was brief and I was selective about what I consumed. I only read post alerts from people I knew would be full of love and positivity and I left the rest. I only shared a few items that were equally filled with kindness, laughter or silliness.

I realized as I sat writing on Sunday afternoon that I really had been in need of some solitude. I needed some space to breathe through my own lungs and process through my own heart. It’s been a big year for me and mine. So much has transpired. Some events have left wounds in their wake. Others have shown our strength can create a mighty wake.

Certainly, I haven’t worked through my whole life’s experience in a weekend but the quiet was good. Separating myself for a time from outside input, outside chaos was necessary. I am grateful to have had the opportunity.

I woke up yesterday morning and I felt calmer. I felt more anchored, more settled. I felt like myself and not like I was carrying around 10,000 other voices in my head. Most of us can hardly take the chatter and unending commentary from our own mind, much less everyone else’s. It’s important to acknowledge, see, appreciate and honor others’ experiences but we cannot carry them around with us. We cannot be co-dependent with the world.

We are interdependent, to be sure. We are in this together, without question. But each of us are responsible for the energy we offer to the world.
We are all called to heal our own battle scars. We can do it together but we cannot do it for one another.

So today I step back out into my life with a renewed clarity. I return to you, our dear blog readers, with a renewed sense of our overall message.

I hope that today’s missive improves upon the silence, rises above the din of uncertainty, and reminds you of all the power you wield in your own heart, your own mind, and your own community. But it begins with all of us taking the time to get quiet, find space and to hear your own spirit speak. Only then can we move forward with honesty and respect for ourselves and one another.

Sunshine & Sarcasm,

Lowi & G