Grow the Good

Be the change that’s needed…

Welcome back, friends.

I am grateful for each one of you. I see you. I hear you. I am touched by your outpouring of love. You remind me that I am not alone in either my struggles or my joys. You live from your hearts and without judgement. Thank you for being here with me even when it is hard.

Yesterday was a tough one for me. I did not want to crawl out from under my pink weighted blanket leaving the security of its measurable weight. I did not want to watch the news, social media, or answer texts. I walked with leaden legs around my neighborhood hoping to find peace in the quiet solitude. Alas, there was no ease to be found. I shed tears. I cried in disbelief. I was grumpy to those I love the most. And I surely was not present to the moment. Instead, I was lost in future moments that I could not control.

Anyone else experience a deep sense of disconnectedness?

Dropped into this well of disembodiment, I found myself yearning for hope. Yearning to find something to lift me out of the quagmire of uncertainty and discontent. Something I could lean into to lift me up, allowing me to feel the sun on my cheek, feel the breeze on my arms, and the tenderness of a hand in mine.

And, I found this… A post by Carla Ritz, managing director at The Montana Institute, challenging us to “grow the good.” She suggested we use the Science of the Positive Core Principles to “help us move forward in ways that grow what is good.”

Grow the good. That resonated with me, waking me from my sleep-filled inertia. I want to choose hope over fear. Choose kindness over hate. Choose now versus never.

These are The Montana Institute’s Seven Core Principles that Carla Ritz challenged us all to embrace to grow the good:

1. We choose to Be Positive, focusing on growing the good.
2. We choose to Be Present, maintaining curiosity and connection.
3. We choose to Be Perceptive, honoring both hope and concern.
4. We choose to Be Purposeful, leaning into Spirit, Science, Action, and Return.
5. We choose to Be Perfected, practicing inclusivity and humility.
6. We choose to Be Proactive, seeking effectiveness.
7. We choose to Be Passionate, leading with the heart and humor.

As my wise and heart-full sister-in-law told me:

“I can be kind and loving to myself and everyone I encounter. I need to be the change. I want to see kindness and love have a ripple effect.”

In these times of uncertainty when the ground feels like it may give out from under you, let us be reminded of the words by this unknown author:

“When life breaks you, it is because you are ready to be put back differently.
Every piece of you that feels shattered is a piece that will find a new place, a new purpose, a new meaning.
Trust that the cracks are where the light gets in. And sometimes, in our brokenness, we find our greatest wholeness.
We find the courage to rebuild, re-imagine, to redefine what it means to be strong.
You are not broken; you are breaking through.”

May we all choose kindness, compassion, and love to grow the good. Let us create a ripple effect.

Until next time friends…

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