A Counter Full of Vegetables

I’ve been tasked with composing a single sentence description of ‘what I do’Never have I felt more verbose and less clearWhat do I stand for? What do I want to say?I stand for so many thingsChief among them, remembering our wholeness (which is immediately fractured by naming a slice)Connection, Interdependence, a context of becomingWhile fully imperfect at it myself, I’ve made tremendous advancesBy slowing downInhabiting and identifying as the whole of myselfExpanding my sense of self beyond my thinkingAccepting a dynamic role in the complex web of lifeIt includes spirituality, somatics, psychology, ecology, social and economic justiceThe whole thing is about relationshipsAnd approaching all of our relationships, including our relationship with ourselvesWith openness and curiosity, not labelsA nimble readiness to meet the moment anewFeeling the subtle and natural resources supporting us, despite very real challengesAcknowledging those challengesAnd having a relationship with life that believes we can meet themWith curiosity, creativity & collaborationI believe I have a unique capacity to listen inside a context of becomingAnd reflect the wholeness taking shape even in what feels like fragmentationI know we need each other to remind each other of our light and life’s potentialHow do I put this into a sentence?I get that it would be helpfulMuch like staring at a counter full of colorful, perfect vegetablesAnd not wanting to cut them up to make a soupBut a girl’s gotta eat…All these words… so many wordsIdeas and contexts and practices and remembrancesWant to breath and flow, swirl and intermixI know that whatever sentence I come up with doesn’t have to be “it”But I sure would like it to represent the heart of my devotionIt’s just that my devotion is so bigUtterly unified but wildly diverseThe tagline of this Substack is “daily chronicles of a resourced life in crisis”Because that was true I’ve had many people say “you’ve got to change that phrase: it’s not what it is at all”But i have yet to receive a suggestion for what it actually isI don’t like labels. I think labels are a huge part of our collective problemsTaglines can be fun, but I have yet to come up with one that settles my nervous systemThat sets the field I want to live and work withinAnd so, I continue to float without landingBut I’m tired, and I do want to land.“Remembering wholeness as life emerges through us” is what I’ve come up with so farBut it needs more -How this remembrance chips away at anxiety, recontextualizes pain, and connects usThe role of nature, of our bodies, of our approachThe sacredness of inquiry, presence, and restHere I am with a whole lot of words, and yet not much closerThanks for witnessingAnd if you have any ideas, recipes for vegetable soupI’m wide open This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit fallingtenderly.substack.com