It’s all too much, isn’t it?

It's all too much, isn't it, ?

It's too much pain.
It's too much horror.
It's too much anger.

And yet...

There is joy in the last day of school, in long weekends, and in the open space of summer.
There is joy in seeing friends and family at graduations, school events, and weddings.
There is joy in the sunshine, bright flowers, and green grass.

It's all too much.

I've really been struggling this week to show up at the normal end-of-year school festivities. I've been struggling to switch between seeing the stories of these sweet children on the news and watching the kids laughing as they squirt each other with water guns as they get off the school bus. I've really been struggling with running my business in the midst of this paradox.

So, what do we do now?

There are a multitude of ways to engage and take action. I'm not going to get into those here (or it would be a book...but, call your senator and vote!). I strongly encourage you to do something to put action behind the emotion you feel.

Behind all of the emotion ... the sorrow, the anger, and the joy.

Take in the laughter and energy of the end of school season.
Turn your face toward the sun.
Hug your people hard.

And, give yourself grace. So much grace.

Cry when you feel the tears well up.
Rage when you see the headlines.
Love when you feel like your heart will burst.

Our culture pushes us to the bright, shiny, happy version of life, especially as women. But there is richness and depth in the sorrow and the pain and the anger that is beautiful. It's ok to sit with those emotions, even if they feel challenging. Fight the instinct to push through them and instead, pause to consider what you might learn.

I've been reading this book, Bittersweet by Susan Cain. Frankly, I debated putting it down multiple times (who wants to spend time thinking about sorrow and longing?)...but now I understand why it wouldn't go away. It's for a time such as this.

If you haven't seen Susan's recent TED Talk, The hidden power of sad songs and rainy days, it is well worth 15 minutes of your time to understand the value and beauty of how sorrow might shape you.

By no means does this shed light on tragedy, but it does offer a wonderful "why" for honoring our sorrow.

If you need to curl up and cry, if you need to turn on music and dance, if you need to rest...do it. Don't judge it, don't try to manage it, don't push what you need aside. Give yourself grace...and take action in a way that moves you.

Take care of yourself.