Sssh…Can you hear that?
Excuse me while I grieve summer. My children went back to school this week. While I’ll miss the free flowing, “almost anything goes” days of summer, I’m also looking forward to getting back into some semblance of a routine. 6am alarm and all!
And then this landed in my ears and on my heart and I had to share it. Life starts at 44. That's just one thread from Keke Palmer's interview with Oprah Winfrey on her podcast "Baby, This is Keke Palmer." I raved about Keke’s TED Talk in a previous issue — this conversation took it even further. Baaabby, what an anointed exchange.
Below are just a few threads that spoke to me. I’d love to hear what comes up for you — not if, but when — you listen. Fair warning: it’s worth a second and third listen too.
Resting
An invitation to slow down long enough to hear what your mind, body, and heart are telling you.
Sometimes making meaning is at odds with rest.
We can be so attuned to getting the lesson that we burn ourselves out. The posture of "what am I supposed to learn from this?" requires a certain vigilance. Of course, that has its rightful place in personal growth.
But what about the fatigue associated with that?
Keke adeptly pushes back on the idea of constant embodiment. Always being alert and looking for the lesson. It’s exhausting. Oprah agrees and refreshingly responds: “Well, sometimes you just gotta have fun.”
When was the last time you allowed your mind to fully wander?
Remembering
An invitation to reconnect with your brilliance - the wisdom, creativity, and magic within and around you.
Distance distorts the journey.
Time passes, emotions fade, and you forget how you got to where you are. Too focused on what's next. Overthinking what hasn't happened yet. But how far have you come?
Recently, I paused and looked back while filling out a PTA survey at my son's new school. They wanted to know the skills and expertise I could offer. In that moment, I took stock of the career shifts, titles, and accolades. But more than anything, I reflected on the freedom and flexibility that now allows me to actively show up for my community in ways I couldn't before.
A PTA survey brought it back into focus.
Oprah turns to hiking (with her two new knees!) to describe taking stock of how far you’ve come. Pausing to look back during the journey is the fuel and perspective needed to keep climbing. And meet your rising!
How can you regularly look back and mark how far you've come?
Recasting/Realizing
An invitation to imagine the life you desire and pursue it with joy as your compass.
The vision is not yours alone.
Each of us is purposed to walk out a vision bigger than anything we can imagine. I have a duty to honor God's vision for my life and align my own with it. For me, that happens through stillness, obedience, and surrender. Much easier typed than practiced.
Oprah calls the Wizard of Oz one of the greatest teachings ever. On the heels of seeing it at The Sphere in Vegas, I can agree.
Dorothy is being reoriented toward what’s possible. The Good Witch is recasting her vision of herself and her own territory. Everything Dorothy needed was in her own backyard. Yours is too. Tend to your vision in your own territory.
The still small voice is always guiding you.
How is your vision aligning with something bigger than yourself? And what would it take to listen more closely?
Mental rest, perspective, and divine alignment. All of it found through listening. What are you able to hear when you slow down long enough? I'd love to know.
Joyfully,
Elandria
