I’ve sat down to write this 4 nights in a row, trying to figure out how to talk about what has been unfolding in our country the past week. It’s heavy enough already and I want to find the words that will maybe make it less heavy without taking away from the gravity of what is going on. The truth is that intense and painful things have happened and are still happening. It’s hard to believe, hard to stomach, hard to accept that a man’s life ended as he repeated that he couldn’t breathe, as people there pleaded with the officer, as the officer kneeled on George Floyd’s neck with his hands in his pockets. I feel angry and sad that it’s 2020 and crap like this is still happening. We’re better than this, why aren’t we doing better?

Last week as I meditated, I asked for clarity about what was unfolding. I was shown a vision of cracks starting to form and get bigger. The old façade, the old ways are no longer working, they’re not serving us well and can no longer be sustained. And that’s where the cracking starts. The turmoil in our government and divisiveness in our country is part of the cracking. The pandemic is part of the cracking. And just as an egg has to crack open for the baby bird to emerge so it can grow and fly, George Floyd’s death cracked open the shell. And now that the shell is open and the momentum is there, will we make changes that bring equality to all? That creates a better world for all? Will we move through fear and transform into something better that includes everyone? Will we keep our focus on it and see it through? As long as a part of the population is held back and held down, then none of us are truly free. Because today it’s “them”, but tomorrow it could just as easily be you too. Hasn’t history shown us the perils of that slippery slope? Why are we still messing around on it?

My best friend and I have been talking about what we can do to help bring about positive change, to be part of the change, to add to the momentum. There are big things like participating in protests, helping to change the system, speaking up and out. But there are also things that can carry just as much weight and shouldn’t be overlooked because they are “smaller” or “quieter”. It’s the smiles, it’s kindness, it’s compassion, it’s in the everyday exchanges that happen with strangers and people we already know. It’s having the courage to look within to see where we each hold on to fear or hatred or racism within ourselves, addressing it and healing it. It’s the courage to be open, to ask the hard questions of ourselves, of our communities, of our nations, of our world and have open and honest dialogue – yes dialogue, not screaming and shouting and one way tirades – with the intention of making positive change, of transforming into something bigger and better. It’s setting the bar, a positive and loving bar, for younger generations with our words and our actions. It’s stepping up and allowing the inherent love within you, that is you, to shine out as you live in this physical body, in this physical world. There are so many ways and you can contribute as part of a group and in our own unique way. Let your intuition guide you. Follow the energy that feels expansive and inclusive and loving.

So I’m feeling angry and I’m feeling sad, but I’m also feeling hopeful because I see the possibility in the shell breaking open– opportunities for healing and growth. An opportunity to change for the better.

And now I ask you, dear soul, what will you do with this opportunity?