Hey, guys.
Here in the Northern Hemisphere, the days are getting shorter. Leaves are beginning to fall from the trees. Breezes are losing their summer warmth. Night skies are getting colder and clearer.
It’s lovely, isn’t it?
Look, I know that sometimes things seem so dark. I know that the nightly news and Facebook and Twitter and pretty much any media you can find is screaming about how the human race appears to be trying to eat itself alive.
It’s an election year here in the States. Election years are, as a general rule, ugly ones. This one feels worse than most. There seems to be so much anger fueling this cycle. So much hate. Loads and loads of fear. For folks like me, who struggle with serious anxiety, it can be too much. I don’t watch the news anymore, and I hardly exist on social media because it’s just. Too. Much.
You know what’s not too much? The miles and miles of blue sky above us. The rumble of thunder during a chilly autumn thunderstorm. The swarms of starlings as they dance in the fall air. The smile of a stranger whose eyes just happened to catch yours in the check out line. The small, warm sense of satisfaction when you pay for the car behind you in the drive-through. Laughing over coffee with friends. Sitting alone at three a.m., contemplating the full moon.
If darkness is looming–and sometimes it sure feels like it is–then each of us can be a star shining in that night. Maybe we can’t overcome it by ourselves, but we can each pierce it by living truthfully in our giftings, by acting out of a sense of good. Do something to leave the world a little better today than it was yesterday. Even if what you have to offer feels infinitesimal (maybe nothing more than holding the door for a stranger, or heck–getting out of bed. On the days when my anxiety is at a fever pitch, getting out of bed can feel like a Herculean victory). The smallest pebble dropped into water leaves ripples far beyond its physical reach.
Be kind to yourself. Be kind to those around you. Kindness is always a good idea.
As always, loads of love,
Myndi Shafer 
A lovely post, Myndi, and one that should be repeated daily. Good for you ! 💞
Great post, Myndi. I wish you lots of blue skies and happy thunderstorms. And a few nice warm log fires and a good glass of wine to snuggle up with in front of it.
Yes, it’s been a shitty year, but it can get better. I saw that brilliant athlete help his ailing brother across the finishing line yesterday on TV. He could have gone on and won the race, but he stopped, got overtaken by someone else, and carried his brother the last 50 yards and then pushed him over into silver medal position. If that sort of selflessness isn’t good, i don’t know what is. He’s my hero of the year!
Take heart Myndi. By the way, how’s the next Shrilugh book coming along? 🙂