The Gift of NO

As a person who wants to experience and do “all the things”, I feel this one deeply. When it comes to milking the marrow out of life, saying no to myself can still be hard.

But I have also learned how amazing it can feel when I do. I know, first hand, the gifts that await when I say no to doing ONE MORE THING.

The truth is that simplifying, quieting, slowing down creates an expansive that, somewhat ironically, leaves room for more. Time itself opens up and there is more space to connect with others but there is also still space to be with yourself. There is room to notice the magic all around you, in the flowers, the stars, the unseen energies, and also room to become more aware of the magic inside yourself. There is energy to create and contribute and also room to replenish those same vital energies.

So much becomes possible. All with the help of one little word “no”.

After my cousin passed away this last June, I felt a tension between all the goals and plans I had for the summer - travel, JTW programming, house and life projects- and a deep need for quiet, for connection. It isn’t often that I see things as binary but this one was clearly a choice between one way of inhabiting the coming months or the other. I could not choose both.

With the amazing, loving support of my family and my dearest soul-sister Porter, I planned the pause I needed to grieve, rest, and recenter. While there is a part of me that feels sad to let go of some of the exciting moments I had anticipated, including sharing more adventures with the JTW community this summer and fall, I also trust that all will come in due time. I recognize that I will bring a more whole self to whatever I do if I lean in and allow.

I know that, only by living in flow, will I find myself exactly where I am meant to be. And only by trusting the flow will I truly feel spaciousness and ease.

And here I am. Still busy, still with a life full of the wonderful happenings that bring me joy. But also saying no, slowing down and inviting the spaciousness that is there for each of us if only we allow it. It is a delicious space, a rich one, a healing one and one I wish to remind everyone is always there when you need it.

So please use this as a gentle reminder and an opportunity to reflect. Have you been infected by our busy culture and the desire to do “all the things”? What has been the cost of living at that speed and are you truly experiencing more by moving faster? Do you know how to say no and lean into the spaciousness that awaits?

Whatever the answer, may you allow yourself to lean into whatever you need most right now