Sunday Serenity

June 30, 2024

So tomorrow is already July 1st and the year 2024 is already half over. I guess it's true, the older that we get the faster that time flies. I see this regularly now as I watch my nieces

nephews get married and create families of their own. Some traditional and some not.

I have reached a point in my own life where I realize that I was putting others and their needs ahead of my own. With the recent deaths of two different acquaintances this past month I have come to be reminded of how little time we truly have on this planet and have committed to spend the next six months on a journey of self discovery and to continue onto 2025 with a new year, new you attitude. This will mean immediately setting some boundaries and will likely not make some individuals happy as a former people-pleaser, but it is past time that I prioritize my own needs and endeavor to practice a more conscious mind, body & spirit practice.

I am not sure how that will all eventually unfold but I invite you to follow along on this journey with me should you choose to do so.

The first step was to create a support system that encourages and even demands growth.

I have spend the first six months of 2024 working on that piece and have been blessed enough to find a handful of individuals, some family and some family of choice, that I have leaned on through some personal transitions this year and have come to see clearly who is really there for me. You know who you are, and I am grateful for your presence in my life.

The second step was to solicit and create a health & wellness team that will work with me collaboratively to optimize my mental and physical health. It was not always easy and I had to step away from more than one practitioner that was not a good fit for me personally.

Fortunately, I am lucky to live in an area that is thick with options. However, I don't want to not acknowledge that this has been an arduous and at times painful process. Not feeling heard is a huge trigger for me and transitioning to new care providers is no simple feat even with the advent of electronic records.

Third step, finding a local gym that is willing to work with me on better physical health. If nothing else the recent deaths previously mentioned reminded me that I need to optimize my physical health for overall wellness and to fight against any unforeseen future health issues.

And fourth, explore what a spiritual life means to me. That is the part that I feel has the most room for improvement --if I am honest. Raised in institutionalized religion did not work for me personally and although I attempt to be a kindness practitioner in a world that is currently not so kind I find this an area for necessary growth.

In sharing my story weekly of my journey over the next six months I hope to practice authenticity, candor and vulnerability and hope that my readership will find something that resonates with them while helping to hold me accountable throughout this journey down serenity road.

Wishing you peace, love, and personal happiness. Edward John

"Sometimes it's the journey that teaches you a lot about the destination." DRAKE