Turning up the heat

It is HOT.
 
After all it’s August, traditionally the hottest month of the year in the northern hemisphere, so why am I surprised? Record highs were recorded this week in Phoenix, parts of California and I’m sure many other cities throughout the world.
 
It doesn’t help that we are literally trapped inside. When the pandemic started, I found time to get outside multiple times a day. Now at 5am, the temperatures are already pushing 80+ and if I don’t pull myself out of bed, I miss my chance for fresh air.
 
Throughout the day, I look out the window longingly. Dreaming of a fall, or winter, or spring day. I would love to feel 75 degrees for just a few hours (that’s not too much to ask).
 
I’m sure there are good reasons for the recent heat wave, global warming, lack of rain, etc. but this is not a blog on weather patterns.
 
While temperatures are literally increasing, so is the heat surrounding online debates regarding:

• masks
• school decisions
• politics & the election
• Breonna Taylor
• child trafficking
• working from home
• mental health

 
Have you noticed how cruel people can be about these topics? I understand people are passionate. I understand many of these topics feel like decisions with life and death consequences, but it is shocking to me to see the hostility of people’s words on social media.
 
If we step back, we can see these flames are being stoked by fear. People are afraid for the unknown. It’s easier to be angry than scared.
 
When we are angry (read: fearful), we find temporary comfort in people agreeing with us. Their confirmation is support we are not alone in our thoughts which tames the fear, even if just a little bit.
 
But that reassurance is short lived. It only takes the next inflammatory post, news story or email to remind us the heat hasn’t subsided, in fact it’s still rising.
 
In the middle of all this, I launched a cool new program I call “Living in Flow”. The contradiction of trying to achieve flow while living in these “unprecedented times” is not lost on me. But I thought “If not now, then when?” There is so much chaos on the outside, it seems like the perfect time to check in and give some attention to what is going on inside.
 
As you might expect, in the first week the participants were feeling the heat of all the things I listed above and more. We shared our stories and our struggles, no longer wanting to live in a pressure cooker. We walked away from the first meeting with the intention to play more and miraculously we all found time for it. Play was fun, refreshing and calming amidst the daily demands. There is more work to do, but this group is on their way to finding their flow.
 
You may be struggling to find your flow. It may seem impossible to escape the heat, after all you can’t change the weather or social pressures surrounding us. Like me, you may be looking out the window wishing things were different. We don’t always understand why things happen as they do. Every experience leaves it’s mark for the next. Will we “fight fire with fire” and risk our anger burning it all up? Or will we stay inside, accepting the heat, reflecting, and knowing cooler days are coming?
 
Heart-FULLy Yours,    
Kacey
 
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