I Believe

I believe we're all doing the best we can with what we have, and we can do better once we know better, and once we have the resources to do better.

I believe our soft, fierce animal bodies know how to heal and are trying to heal all the time. Healing isn’t a one-and-done kind of thing. We don’t arrive at “healed” and stay there. Healing is an on-going process of removing what blocks us from a dynamic state of equilibrium inside and outside of ourselves.

I believe healing requires that our basic needs are met; so, for many people, healing may not be available right now, or ever. Not everyone in this world will have the privilege to attend to their healing in this lifetime because safety, shelter, food, water, movement and healthcare are denied them. Other people may have the resources and supports they need to heal, but will refuse the call (for any number of reasons)— and that’s their choice and right.

I believe the culture we live in is obsessed with moving on, hustling, progress, growth, more, bigger, faster… and it won't accept limits, and won't allow for seasons of rest and cycles of grief, and so it keeps us stuck and sick; and, our "healthcare” (the western medical, psychiatric, and even holistic health industries) often commodify, gatekeep and whitewash healing, and then package it up and sell it to us for a profit, capitalizing on our pain. And, I believe that's twisted and gross, so I try to live in a way that supports us all in unshaming how damned hard it is to actually be and feel well in this world.

I believe in holding people in their strangeness, and loving them. Loving them no matter what state they're in, or what they've done to survive, or whether or not they behave in a way that I understand or personally find desirable. I delight in the struggle of practicing unconditional love.

I believe when we each feel safe, have what we need, and are unified inside ourselves (that is, no longer polarized and entrenched in our ego defenses), that we are able to move through the world more centered, curious, and compassionate; and, in this state, we're more open to learning new information, taking on different perspectives, and updating our worldview. We are calm and centered. We are better resourced to do hard things. We're in choice, accountable for our consequences, and willing to repair. I believe that's how the culture begins to change. I believe the culture must change.

Lastly, I believe the process of homecoming to yourself after life's had it's way with you is f*cking hard, and it can be so achingly beautiful. I'm here for both. I'm here for the good, hard work. And I'm here for the beauty.