Dear friends, I want to thank so many of you who have reached out in recent days to check on my family and our community in Nashville. Our neighborhood was devastated by a tornado in the early morning hours of Tuesday, March 3rd, along with several other areas throughout middle Tennessee. I had my arms around my son as the sound of the train ripped past us, but we were spared. We are safe, and our house is fine. One block away is a very different story. Events like this have a way of bringing everything into sharp focus. Thousands of people have descended on our neighborhood with chainsaws, shovels, rakes, water, food, generators, face masks, work gloves, and anything else people might need. People have opened their homes for hot showers and warm beds. My husband helped unload an entire house yesterday that had the roof ripped off, before realizing it belonged to a friend and colleague. A dear friend around the corner threw himself on top of his two boys as the windows shattered around them. My son's first grade teacher got in her car in the middle of the night and drove through the destruction to make sure our house was still standing. We got our electricity back on last night, and I am just now able to feel the physiological impact of the stress... but we are the lucky ones. As life creaks back to normal, I have seen a few clients and had some coaching calls over the phone. Everyone is aching physically and trying to remember how to breathe... even those not in Nashville who are dealing with coronavirus fears and election and financial strain. In stress, our bodies are all the same: We need care. We need safety and sustenance and a few reliable coping mechanisms to keep us going in good times and bad. The manuscript for my newest book, The Habit Trip, is finished. I handed in the copy edit last week, not realizing how applicable it would be just a week later in my own life. It's a balm for relief and recovery in tough times (and a boost for better times) in a strange and playful, fill-in-the-blank format. I can't wait to share it with you. I'm not the best at PR and marketing. I'll just be real about that this time around. I'd much rather sit with folks and talk about it than spend time digging up media exposure. My hope is that it will be useful in the aftermath of this volatile year. It's coming out December 1st. In the meantime, hold your people tight, and know that you are supported by the community around you, whether you know it or not. This world is full of caring people. After what I've seen this week, I know we are capable of coming together to do good things. Don't let the pundits tell you otherwise. This Sunday is International Women's Day, so to all of you women and allies: work when you can, rest when you need—and always keep moving and stretching and breathing. We need you at your strongest, whatever that looks like today... or tomorrow.
"We can't deny the suffering that comes with loss, but we can bend with the pain, arch our backs, and return to standing." - Physical Disobedience
Love and peace,
Sarah
Photo 1 via Marcia Masulla Photo 2 via Patrick Danahar