Finding peace in chaos

Self care when life refuses to cooperate ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ [bullet journal](   "You are the sky. Everything else – it's just the weather." - Pema Chödrön Dear {NAME},  This year has been disorienting. A death in the family. Moving. Launching a project years in the making. Dramatic peaks and valleys with few fields between. I've struggled to maintain my rituals, so I rented a quiet village home. Out front, everything was in walking distance. Farm to table food. Owner-run cafes with good coffee. Out back, a small, verdant yard. Perfect for meditating, and writing outside. The ideal conditions to resume my rituals. On the first day, I was greeted by a picture-book spring morning. Quiet, sunny, cool. I found my spot in the sun. Closed my eyes. I took a deep breath, and that's when the deafening sawing began. On the other side of the fence, someone was cutting tiles. It sounded like a chainsaw attacking a chalkboard. Then it stops. "Maybe it was just a moment," I wonder. I hope. Then starts again... and again. Frustration surged into anger. When was I going to find the perfect conditions to take care of myself? What I didn't expect was a blindingly clear answer: that's not the right question. There are two uncomfortable truths: we can't control the world around us, and the world does not care about our plans. The real question becomes: how do you take care of yourself when the perfect conditions don't exist? When that question dawned on me, I smiled because the answer was drowning out all other sound: This. This is what you can do. You slow down and get curious. You look inside yourself. You see what is coming up without judgement. You listen to what it has to say. You thank that part of yourself, and try to let it go. You bring your focus back to what matters now. In other words, you meditate. In some ways, nothing changed. The guy kept sawing, I kept meditating. In other ways, everything changed because nothing had to change. In that moment, I stopped resisting my life. This is what was happening. Would I choose it? No. I can choose not to resist it though. It's just a sound. He's doing his job. He probably didn't even realize I was sitting there. I'm still in this lovely garden. Nothing is happening to me. If anything, now I can use this to practice. In a world where everything needs to be fixed, changed, or bettered, how powerful and liberating would it be to practice letting more things be as they are? Rather than getting caught up in all the "should" and "should nots," how can we skillfully be with what is? With that in mind, I pose the question to you: how will you take care of yourself when the perfect conditions won't exist? Happy Bullet Journaling, Ryder Does this sound familiar? Are you... - Feeling stuck? - Unsure of what you want in your life? - Sure of what you want but can't seem to get there for some reason? - Wanting to see Bullet Journaling in a whole new way? - Ready to level up your reflection, and get into action? Join us for the [second cohort of Writing for Being]( as we tackle these big questions and learn tangible frameworks to get into intentional action. Leave with tools that unlock your own thinking and approaches to living your definition of a meaningful life.  Those on the waitlist will hear more details and get the first notice for when seats are available to purchase in late June.  Wondering what this is about? Get a taste of it at our [Mid-Year Planning event Friday, June 21](. [Click Here to Instantly Join the Waitlist]( [Thumbnail: Mid-year planning event with Ryder]( A Mid-Year Check In It's the middle of the year, which is a great opportunity to step back and reflect. Join us and learn about NEW frameworks in "Bujo 3.0," and get re-centered on your Bullet Journal practice in community with other planning enthusiasts!  Friday, June 21, 2024 12pm ET: Live YouTube Premiere ~ 12:20pm ET: YouTube Live stream Q&A [Join us for our live event]( [instagram]( [YouTube]( [pinterest]( No longer want to receive these emails? [Unsubscribe](. Bullet Journal 223 Bedford Avenue #1157 Brooklyn, New York 11211 Can't see this email? [View in Your Browser](