The Things We Take for Granted
As mentioned in my last newsletter, I Had a Plan, 2026 started out with some additional challenges on my end. The past four weeks have reminded me that I’ve taken some of the little things in life for granted. They feel like a series of little losses:
Letting the water splash over my face in the shower
Sleeping through the night
Running out to the store
Stopping by a friend’s
Being on video calls
Small little things. Coveted reminders of what was once “normal” have been displaced.
However, something else also happened in this time. I’ve heard from colleagues, friends, and family from near and far away. Texts, DMs, phone calls, cards in the mail, meals dropped off, packages on my doorstep, love, prayers, and offers to help.
Small acts of kindness have lifted my spirit and reminded me I’m not alone.
Life should return to “normal” in a few months. But do we ever feel exactly the way we were? No, we evolve from our experiences and change. We’re never exactly the same. But the beautiful thing is this: We get to choose what we take from the experience. The key question is:
What do we choose to remember: The loss or the love?
An Olympic Reminder
One thing about having downtime during the Winter Olympic season, is the opportunity to experience the joy, persistence and passion of the Olympic athletes. They’re under tremendous pressure, but when the stars align, and the joy shines through, we can feel it.
For a moment in time, we are one with the stars. United in time. Caring together, despite the troubles of the world. One of my favorite memories was watching Alysa Liu in her free skate program. I cannot recall ever seeing so much joy and love while watching someone perform at this level. It was simply breathtaking. She did it her way. She came alive like no other and exemplified my mantra in action: “Know your value, Live your values”.
Alysa Liu’s gold medal Olympic skate was the essence of “Know your value, Live your values”
We Have the Chance to Keep it Going
The power of choice and really embracing our place in the world is a remarkable way to go forward. Whether it’s noticing the small little things we take for granted, or offering our own kindness to someone else, we find ways to move forward with intention and grace.
Let’s continue the feeling of hope and connection. Our partners at the Global Compassion Coalition have started a campaign called One Million Acts of Kindness, a free, guided 30-day journey starting March 1st. They’re inviting people to complete one intentional act of kindness each day and reflect on those actions alongside others around the world.
This experience turns small moments of care into meaningful collective impact. I have joined the community and would love to have kindness ripple out together with the change of seasons. Join us!
What’s New:
I’m taking it easy for the next few months and will update my website with poetry and videos I’ve created. Here are the two additions that tie into the spirit of love and kindness (I added a video to each):
Thanks for being part of my community. If you’re not already a subscriber, please do subscribe to my newsletter and stay in touch. I’m always interested to hear from you. And, may you always “Know your value, Live your values”