What to do?
Well, it’s Monday and the world seems to be back at it - terrible news, shocking updates, internet debates, and on and on. I considered posting, re-posting, and weighing in. After all, I’m a deeply engaged member of society and I have something to say, right?
Well, as I scrolled through my Substack feed (not to mention, Google, facebook, and instagram feeds) it suddenly occurred to me: “these are all my thoughts”. Expressions of outrage, compassion, defiance, helplessness, Stoicism, escape, fear, derision, solidarity - I share them all. The collective consciousness has already taken care of expressing it all for me.
Does that mean that my voice doesn’t matter? No. But this realization makes me ask a different question - what is mine to do right now?
This post is my answer to that question today (June 23, 2025).
Feel your body in space.
Allow a deep breath to move through you.
Feel your feet rooted to the floor.
Breathe
Listen to the sounds in your immediate surroundings: wind chimes, refrigerator running, a clock, a song playing in Charlie’s room, bird song.
See the bright sunshine, turning green leaves yellow as the planet slowly turns to face the sun.
Feel the texture of the wood table and your plastic keyboard.
Smell the faintest lingering scent of a candle burned a few hours ago.
Taste the coffee in your mouth.
Come to your senses.
Awaken to the day that is yours to live.
Right here.
Right now.
Does this mean you forget the suffering, pain, and anguish of the outside world?
How could you? You care deeply about it - and it’s right there as soon as you open up the laptop or power on your phone. And there are many good souls out there on a daily, hourly, even moment-to-moment basis paying close attention, making updates, and communicating essential details and specifics.
You don’t have to do that. Nor do you have to amplify or respond to everything that’s thrown at you every day. What is yours to do is to live the life you’ve been given and to stay in touch with it.
The best way you know how to do this is through sensory connection. Get in your body and let the body (rather than the mind) ask, “what is mine to do?”
Coming from the body, the answer will be concrete, actionable, and of the moment. Since it is your lucky happenstance to have these choices, make them and live them fully for all those in this world who are not so lucky.
Today, at intervals, continue to ask yourself, “what is mine to do now?”