10/09/2024
Hey Loves, a little update and some thoughts.
I’m still without power, water, WiFi, and I can finally make the occasional phone call with texts coming through here or there.
I am deeply fortunate and grateful for the community and family that have shown up in support, both for me and my little home, and for the big beautiful mountain community of Western NC. I have said to many people that I was raised in chaos - having my family home burn to the ground when I was 3, losing communities and culture, lightning strikes and more house fires, heavy hurricanes, and family businesses that lost everything - but what I realized today as I received the support of my family, both chosen and blood, was that my life has prepared me for this moment.
Why I was spared in the wake of such chaos and devastation is a real question many with survival guilt may ask. And, I’ve asked it myself. The grief is complex and layered. The mourning for my community, friends, family, and Mother Earth deep. Just a few days before Hurricane Helene hit my Grandpa passed away, and even as a somatic practitioner with lots of tools to choose from, I was flooded.
And, I was spared and am deeply fortunate. I know I have resources to share and offer. I know how to find love through chaos - I was taught how to find laughter in the hard times and that we are better together, connected.
Watching my community put aside all else to come together in support, remembering the greater picture that we are all humans needing safety, connection, and to know we are not alone in this, thank you for being another teacher and reminding me of this lesson.
I am stabilizing, grounding, and finding inner and outer resources so I can begin to show up again in the capacity I know I can offer our community. It’s amazing what a shower or a long, slow belly breath can offer.
I don’t know how the future will look. The Land has shifted, altering what we thought we knew, and brought us the the altar of the unknown. I know that we as a community have a long road ahead, but I also know that I am and will be ready for it. This moment and experience has provided me an even deeper devotional to living life and I am devoted to making this a beautiful life for me, my family, my community, and beyond.
I invite our community, residents, and volunteers to try and find a pause - a pause from the chaos, doom-scrolling and devastation to find a moment of slowness, beauty, laughter, or joy. Viktor Frankl’s book, Man’s Search For Meaning comes to mind - even in the most heinous of times, beauty can be found.
Because the path of devotion is long and hard, may we titrate along the way to pause and resource so we can continue to show up in devotion for our lives, for each other, and our greater community as we walk this path of restoration together.
If you would like to join the efforts of this communal restoration, BeLoved Asheville, 12 Baskets, Safe Shelter, and Umoja (links in comments) are just some great options to donate to. If figuring out how to do that becomes a barrier, if you Venmo me with a note as to where you want the funds to go, I can help direct them that way.
Stay safe, and stay kind đź’ž
