Photo by Mike Labrum on Unsplash
Life (for many of us) has gotten heavy. It feels like the weight of the world is bearing down, trying to crush us. The aggression and war that Russia began with Ukraine is not an isolated, geographic incident but one that has global economic, political, and relational effects. We have many thousands of people in the United States with Ukrainian or Russian heritage who are deeply grieving because of what’s happening.
As I write this, Putin threatens nuclear war and the first ceasefire talks stop as fighting intensifies. It’s no good, which may be the understatement of the day. I’m a globally oriented person. I love to travel and work with people from various countries and backgrounds. I support organizations that take a global approach to reducing human suffering. And yet I’m surprised by how trampled this situation has caused me to feel, partly because there’s not much I can do to change it.
What this feeling has brought me is the recognition that I need more self-care. I need more silence, not only for myself but to hold people in love and light. I might not be able to fight alongside the Ukrainians, but I can prayerfully send positive energy and hope to that region of the world as well as to our US leaders who have tough decisions to make.
I encourage you, if you haven’t already, to take a moment of silence or light a candle to lift up our government and those who are experiencing and navigating this atrocity. Whether it’s through prayer, deep breaths, or visualizing healing light over the country, we can support those who are under attack.
If you feel led to do more, by all means do it.
May we remember we’re all a part of the human family.
Make sure you’re listening to season one of the Dream Big Authentic Leadership podcast, found on Apple, Google, Spotify, and Stitcher.