Daily Wake Up Call

02/02/2025

"When I was a kid, my grandmother taught me the art of mending socks...I didn’t think much about those lessons at the time. They were just a part of life, like doing chores or walking to school. But now, as I watch society fray at the edges, I realize those afternoons by the window taught me more than just sewing."

I look at the growing hole in our own fabric. The threads of connection—trust, empathy, shared values—are unraveling. We see it in the way we

01/31/2025

"As always, old ways and patterns need to come to the surface to be cleared before there is enough room for the new to land. This is why we have been feeling so much discomfort, tension, anxiety, irritability, and restlessness, as well as excitement, newness, and potential, like something big is brewing."

My goal is to explore what is happening, on an energetic level, and then dive into practical and healthy ways to move through this time. As always, old ways and patterns need to come to the surface to

01/29/2025

"In this divided and exhausted nation, the task of uniting our grief and channeling it into action feels insurmountable. Many, including myself, are left asking, 'What can I do?'"

At times, I’ve felt powerless. But with so much at stake, we cannot afford to be complicit. To protest is to

01/29/2025

1. “Do you truly know what is positive and what is negative? Do you have the total picture? There have been many people for whom limitation, failure, loss, illness, or pain in whatever form turned out to be their greatest teacher. It taught them to let go of false self-images and superficial ego-dictated goals and desires. It gave them depth, humility, and compassion. It made them more real.”

Exactly one month ago today, I drove tentatively into the fog and watched the old and familiar landscape I called my life dissolve discreetly into the mist. Although the path

01/28/2025

It's that time, again—clearly. Join: https://www.elephantjournal.com/elephants-free-find-your-voice-community-writing-event-with-waylon-lewis/

01/28/2025

A Buddhist poem that sums up life's pain/happy contradiction—it helped guide me years ago:

When I was young, I was insecure. So insecure, it was hard to have a conversation, sometimes. I was sweet, too, and sensitive, and proud, and speedy—and wild. Over the years, my insecurity—the cra...

01/27/2025

"The term 'The Good German' has become a phrase to describe anyone who deliberately turns a blind eye to atrocities, especially those that are in plain sight."

Read Let’s not Become “The Good German.”
on 🐘⁠👉🏼 https://elejrnl.com?p=4125713
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01/23/2025

"Far too many Americans are breaking their backs while voting for candidates who are happily striping away their freedoms. Trump has a well-documented history of union-busting and anti-worker policies."

A divided working class is easier to manipulate and exploit, and it’s the ruling class that benefits when workers are too fractured to act collectively.

01/23/2025

"At a time when billionaires and tech oligarchs threaten to control our government with the fawning consent of Congress, it’s imperative for the citizens of the United States, whatever our political views, to remind our leaders that government serves us—not the uber-wealthy, for whom greed is a disease."

I hope that in the near future, there will be those who choose to remember and remind us of the American saga that defined our nation. We can begin with the Founding Fathers, who managed to

01/20/2025

"...this must be listened to if you want to experience the lump in your throat and the chills up your spine. Not simply read."

As we prepare ourselves once again to celebrate the life of Martin Luther King Jr., I feel as though we’d be remiss to focus so much of our attention on his famous “I Have a Dream” speech.

01/20/2025

"They are a way of saying that despite it all, I choose beauty. I choose hope. I choose love."

Life, with all its joys and struggles, can feel overwhelming. The constant push and pull of emotions—fear, worry, turbulence—can leave us gasping for a moment

01/19/2025

Tomorrow, it’s Trump. Today, it’s Biden. If you’re feeling shook, that’s normal:

Read it here 👉 https://elejrnl.com?p=4122269

01/19/2025

"I know, I know—if life’s throwing lemons at you right now, you probably want to hurl one at me for being so obnoxiously optimistic. I get it. No one likes the perpetually sunny morning person. But I promise, I’m not trying to outshine anyone. I’m just in my groove. That is, until I step onto the morning train..."

You see, I’ve found that living a life of gratitude makes everything better. When we focus on what’s good—even tiny things like warm coffee, clear skies, or a

01/17/2025

"Whether it’s the patriarchy, who'd rather have us at their disposal than happy. Or the cosmetic, diet, or gym industry making millions on us feeling not something enough. Or the New Agey, self-development, bullsh*t gurus pretending we don’t do or think the right thing to 'attract' what we desire, what our nervous system registers is shame."

“Cat lady” has also been used pejoratively again recently, but this time there was a backlash, which is healthy because the people who talk negatively about cat ladies are the people who

01/15/2025

"These days, the reality is that hard work is just the ticket we need to play the game. It’s the bare minimum, the entry fee."

The notion is this: while we often credit “hard work” as the primary driver behind success, it’s actually just a prerequisite—a given. It’s like getting an

01/07/2025

Trauma doesn’t have to be a barrier to connection:

For trauma survivors, the nervous system often becomes dysregulated, with prolonged periods in fight-or-flight or shutdown states. In relationships, this dysregulation can

01/03/2025

"Today, I woke up happy. How? It sounds like the flip of a light switch. But not exactly. It has happened other times. Today is simply the acknowledgment that it is not an accident or an anomaly."

We cannot be happy all the time. I know this. It is actually the times of disappointment or sadness that highlight joy when it comes. But I believe seeking joy

01/01/2025

"I woke up this morning—New Year’s Day—to a post from my cousin on Facebook that left me feeling melancholy."

I woke up this morning—New Year's Day—to a post from my cousin on Facebook that left me feeling melancholy. She was