Stronger Under Weight
This year has felt heavier for me than most. Between world events, personal commitments, and unexpected challenges, the load has been… a lot. But over the course of the last several months of carrying a heaviness, along with the support of community, I’ve also gotten stronger. Let me elaborate.
It’s like starting the year with a 50-pound backpack and then having a few more pounds added every month. At first, it feels impossible—you think, I’m tired. But over time, with help from my community and a focus on what I can actually control, I’ve built the strength to bear more than I thought I could.
That doesn’t mean the weight has vanished. And in some ways, it’s definitely gotten heavier: although I don’t go swimming in the deep end of the stress pool all that often, the state of the world is impossible to ignore and its effects run deep. I do find that my capacity has grown. And in the process, I’ve discovered moments of joy tucked between the hard things—an evening with friends, a book that sparks new thinking, a morning coffee when the house is still quiet. Those small joys don’t cancel out the heaviness, but they make the load feel more balanced. Lisa and I once described resilience-building events as events we want to have had (i.e., past tense). This year has been full of them.
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