Last week we talked about embracing the "messy middle" of life.

And then...

• Our family's beloved cat Luna suddenly became ill, wasn't taken seriously by our vet and passed. [We found a much better vet but by then it was too late].

• There was a mass school shooting in Uvalde, TX.

• My baby brother's birthday (who overdosed back in 2020) came and went.

Perhaps the word "messy" doesn't adequately describe this thing called life. Other words that currently come to mind are... Painful. Brutal. Unforgiving.

Because life includes people. Who are imperfect (to put it lightly).

And imperfect people can be selfish and cruel. Even decent people make grievous mistakes.

I'm not here to give you my thoughts for what ails us. It's not why you signed up to receive this newsletter. Nor is it my area of expertise (and frankly, I'm too mentally drained for that right now).

But what I AM an expert in is how to deal with the thoughts and emotions you're feeling in a healthy way. So you don't get stuck in a negative mind spiral.

Because the truth is...

No matter how good you are at managing your mindset, you're still going to have moments when you struggle.

When you feel despondent, heartsick, and worried.

When you feel as if you can barely breath.

Yet that doesn't mean that you have to feel stuck in it.

You can enjoy small, simple things through trauma. And feel grateful while dealing with life's harsh realities.

We humans are complicated in that way.

For example...

When my baby brother died, I was both sad and angry. But the outpouring of support from this community energized me. And I was so thankful for that.

When our cat Luna passed suddenly last week, I was devastated by her death. But I laughed as she specifically demanded more attention from my 16-year old when we said our goodbyes (they had a special bond). And was thankful for the gentleness she brought out of him.

And when I heard the news about Uvalde, I felt both dejected and enraged. That moment didn't give way to immediate gratitude or positive feelings.

But after some thoughtful contemplation (and time), I now feel hopeful that a real conversation can be had about all the issues brought to light through this horrible event.

Whenever I’m struggling, I take a moment to put words to my feelings. And then to explore my thoughts around how I feel.

So that I can acknowledge them and (most importantly) give myself permission to feel it all.

And then I explore what to be grateful for. I don't always find it immediately. But eventually there's something.

Although this doesn't make everything magically better, it helps me keep moving forward.

Imperfectly.

Still feeling a little off. Yet better off.

And more open to solutions from all angles (something I think we need more of in this country).

XO,

Heather

P.S. Ready to thrive imperfectly despite how messy life gets? Book a call to chat about how to work together >>>here.