Keep Loving the World + More Resources

by Kayce Stevens Hughlett

Question for the day: What do I need to know about my Mental Health? I ask that question often. What feels good and whole? Which steps shall I take to move forward? What is my work in the world? I periodically check in with myself to make sure I'm on the track that is mine, because we all have our own ways of being (& doing) and it seems now more than ever, we're being told what we "should" be doing for physical health, social justice, political action, and more. But first I shall pause and ask: What do you need to know about your mental health today? 

My response ... 

the essence of feeling my feet on the earth.

observing beauty. grounding ground grounding.

heart-centered. intuition in my feet, my roots, my connection to all colors and my singular, unique grounding that leads to both mental health and blossoming.

my work is loving the world. just like in metta prayer, i begin with myself and reach outward.

in this time when so much feels dark, it is important and essential to see beauty. call it 'distraction' if you must, but shiny things are essential to my well being, my mental health.

to be surrounded by beauty, not to the point of forgetting suffering, but to shore myself up so i am able bodied & minded, so my capacity is large - stretched but not snapped or shattered. 

growing, not trampled upon or threadbare.

and so i put my feet on earth. i walk and listen and wait. i hold an empty nest in my hand and pray for it to be filled with new life. i take in the image of my 5-year-old granddaughter with her poster, "Stop Hurting People," and i envision a healed future.

red roses cluster together with so much to say: roots and riots, blossoms and blood, constant sorrow, heady fragrance.

i step over a dead mouse and stare at feather down scattered in green grass. 

a hummingbird meets me eye to eye and hums, "all shall be well. bathe in the font of beauty. take a step. do your work. keep loving the world." 

Resources 

I'm listening to, watching, reading: 

PODCAST (one hour) Throughline: American Police (history)  The origins of American policing and how those origins put violent control of Black Americans at the heart of the system. (Warning: Graphic images)

VIDEO (19 minutes) Our lives, our cultures, are composed of many overlapping stories. Novelist Chimamanda Adichie tells the story of how she found her authentic cultural voice -- and warns that if we hear only a single story about another person or country, we risk a critical misunderstanding. 

BOOK or AUDIO-BOOK (3+ hours) Between the World & Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates "I was a curious boy, but the schools were not concerned with curiosity. They were concerned with compliance." 

Self-care Resource:

Podcast with spiritual teacher Sarah Blondin discussing concepts and practices from her new book: Heart-minded: how to hold yourself and others in love. 

https://www.resources.soundstrue.com/podcast/sarah-blondin-kneeling-at-the-doorway-of-your-heart/

INSIGHT TIMER (8 minutes) My go-to Metta Chant  

May All be happy & peaceful

May All be healthy & strong

May All be safe & protected

May All live with ease. 

Previous Posts with Resources: 

My Commitment to Anti-Racism Growth & Action 

Social Justice: I'm listening, reading, supporting ...