November 2021

Hi friends,

As I sat down to write three things I have gratitude for this morning, my computer crashed. The irony! This is not the first time I have come up against unexpected barriers. These setbacks throw me for a loop at first, until I re-center. Today I took a moment to think about the resources I have and how to best remedy this situation, made some action steps, and returned to the driver's seat of my day. 

This is an unexpected metaphor for our lives. Our projects, our work, our goals, and our dreams sometimes experience unexpected setbacks. We develop our own, unique, rituals to get us back on track and begin again. Sometimes it takes thirty minutes, and sometimes it takes six months. 

The practice of gratitude is stronger than we often give it credit for. Not only can it shift our mindset, but it can also give us some practical tools for a moment in our life. 

I meant to write three things I am grateful for to share with you, but to be honest, there are more coming up every second. Here are a few:

1. YOU. My community. You provide me with guidance, inspiration, and joy.
2. HOME. In the middle of a moment of chaos, I could take stock in what I have at home and in my life, which was a stabilizing force.
3. ART. What would I do if I couldn't make art? What would you do if you couldn't make or enjoy art?
4. FRIENDS. This is my chosen family.
5. GRATITUDE. Without which, I wouldn't recognize what I actually have, rather than what I am always reaching for. 

I feel the need to add that I don't think of gratitude as the end of the exercise. In the midst of so much global chaos, taking a moment to remember what we have is an act of self-care. I don't write these down, feel better, and then everything is okay again This is an opportunity to pause, to take stock, and to recharge and go back out and continue to work hard for what I want the world to look like; a more just and artful world.

I'd love to hear what you are grateful for. Check out my Instagram stories today for the opportunity to share what keeps you going, and to see what others have shared as well.

I'll be sending out some more updates about At the Root in the next few weeks. In the meantime, continue to find moments of unexpected gratitude and care for this new world we are building together. 

Wish me luck with my computer and enjoy your time this week!
 

Be safe, be there for each other, be well.

jen