Autumn equinox greets us next week on September 22nd. The day is equal parts light and dark, which invites us to reflect on where our lives are balanced…or not. If we’re feeling unbalanced, what is pulling us in directions that don’t align with our core self? What are we ready to release so we can allow ourselves to ease into winter with the intention to restore our body, mind, and spirit? This seasonal milestone also reminds me of how grace for oneself and others is a gift.

In preparation for a talk that I’m doing next week, I’ve been reflecting on what is community? Sure, it’s a group of beings who share something (space, interest, values, mission, etc). And yes, we know the science of how we’re hard-wired to be part of a group for survival. But what happens if I drop into heart coherence and reflect on community? The question becomes, what does it feel like to be part of a community? Connection, on various levels, is what community gifts us. F

Encouragement can come from unexpected places. I was at the gas station the other day filling up my car tank and there was no receipt paper at the stall. I’d paid for a carwash and needed the code, so I went inside to get it. The worker called something I couldn’t decipher from the back where I couldn’t see him. I waited at the counter. As he approached he asked how I was. I told him well and asked him how he was. “Another day,” he replied, out of habit or fatigue I don’t kno