As the holidays approached this year I found myself feeling thankful for the many beautiful things happening in my personal life (2 of my children’s weddings will take place in 2020, yeah!); more committed than ever to helping the roughly 88 million American Middlescents to have more happiness, connection, and impact at home, in their communities and at work; I also found myself experiencing more aches, pains, and signs that while I have decades of life in front of me, I also know that I’m in the second half and that adds a twinge of GSD to everything I do; I’ve also felt depressed by the tremendous concerns for the state of our country and the world; I’ve felt overwhelmed by all of this opportunity and joy alongside the heaviness and seriousness I’ve felt.

I turned to what has helped me when I’ve felt similarly overwhelmed in the past. I got back into my meditation practice and focused my energies on pulling apart these threads in my mind so I could simplify, feel less stressed and know how I wanted to move forward.

Once I reflected the answer presented itself. I needed to volunteer even more. Not just to help others but in order to help myself. One example that culminated this week is the Marin county foster children gift project that I’ve been helping run for the past 17 years. What a blessing. For me! The energy I get back from knowing that my small actions can help, in this case, a child, is like the wind beneath my wings. Stress melts away. I somehow feel that sense of time affluence we read about.