Solstice, New Hat and Love

Hello again, dear friends and followers!

HAPPY SOLSTICE!

I know, it's been a while since my last post, and I can't tell you how many times I tried to reconnect with you all, but something just didn't click. Thank you to those of you who reached out via email, Instagram and Facebook, I really appreciate your thoughtfulness. I also would like to say thank you to people who buy my books. I don't know how you find them, whether you read my blog or not, but I want to say that it touches my heart every time when it happens, it just doesn't get old! I thank you from the bottom of my heart. Life has been a whirlpool of changes, events and emotions in the past several months for all of us, and even those who fortunately didn't have personal losses still experience loss and grief. Psychologists say it is normal at times like these.

 Both health experts and spiritual gurus suggest sticking to a routine, meditation, walks (preferably in nature), a good night's sleep and connecting with family and friends, as well as a broader community. But even though the advice sounds really healthy and helpful, sometimes it is easier said than done. Our feelings run deep, and all the chaos that we hear from the news can result in anxiety and depression. If you find yourself feeling sad and anxious, I just wanted to say that I feel for you. With all my optimism and positive outlook on life, there are times when I feel completely overwhelmed, when all that's been going on just feels too much. 

Illustration source and the article about the movement 

HERE.

I admit that for the first couple of months since the beginning of the pandemic, I was doing pretty well. There were some changes in our life routine, of course, but we still had loads of work and also enjoyed making the new house our home. Late May and June became harder to take and brought many tears. I know, it sounds naive, if not ignorant, but try not to be too quick to judge - not always silence means that we agree with injustice, sometimes we are just not ready to face the truth, all of us, and I am no exception. But when the truth stares you in the face, it is impossible to stay naive or ignorant any longer. I am heartbroken to realize how much hatred and even violence went unnoticed or barely noticed not only by myself, but by a huge part of our society for way too long, and it had to change. Nobody genuinely loves a crisis while it happens, but from both personal and historical points of view, we know that it is there for a reason, and not just any reason, but a good one, and the reason is 

CHANGE. 

 While it might still be a long way to attain world peace, we can take small, manageable steps. If more and more of us start with ourselves, finding more and more acceptance in our hearts, it is the first step to a change. I come from a multiracial, multinational country which has a long tragic history of genocide. One side of my family are Europeans, and the other are Asians. I myself have a multicultural, multiracial family - my own daughter is biracial, many of our family friends, neighbors, colleagues, my students come from different ethnic and cultural backgrounds. We all are a part of each other's lives. Racism and violence are barbarian. People, citizens, friends, brothers and sisters, we are better than that! While we all are unique people, living in different bodies, wearing different clothes, eating different foods, listening to different music and doing different things in different countries and on different continents, we at the same time, most and foremost, despite all the differences, underneath our appearances are

SOULS 

having one common, universal experience - 

we all came here to learn how to do one thing only, and it is... 

 

LOVE.

Love those who are nearby and far away.

Love those who are like us and who are not.

Love in happy times and even more in sad, turbulent ones.

Love heals, understands and accepts.

Each day, every time, always.

Let us remind ourselves of this one simple truth. 

That will be all for today. Just wanted to add that I've changed my header - it seems to reflect me better right now. 

My outfit is a mix of old and new, from various brands. The hat is from Nordstrom, a collaboration with charming and talented Blair Eadie a.k.a. Atlantic-Pacific, who was one of the first inspirations for my starting this blog.

Photos by Anya and Justin

Seattle, WA

Thank you for reading!

Love to each and all of you!