#sthira

A Return, Anew: Into Nurturing

Greetings World!

I'm dusting off this old Tumblr after nearly 7 years to start a new project. And the timing feels meaningful - in Judaism, 7 is considered the number of spiritual fullness and completeness.

So here we are, in 2024 - 7 years after I last posted here regularly. It feels like the right time to pursue new depths of self-knowledge and balance. I want to understand how the different pieces of my life puzzle fit together; where my energy flows and where it's blocked.

Each year, I choose a new quote to guide me for the year to come - for 2024, I chose a quote from Buddhist-Vietnamese monk and one of my teachers, Thich Nhat Hanh, to carry me forward:

"Walk as if you are kissing the Earth with your feet."

I look to 2024 as a chance to sink deeper roots into this beautiful, blossoming life I’m building for myself. Thich Nhat Hanh's words will remind me to walk steadily yet lightly upon this precious Earth, embracing each breath as a gift. There is much more love to cultivate, still and despite.

In this coming year, I aim to be more rooted, intentional, and connected - to my new home in Philadelphia, its land and community, my body and spirit, my creative work, my relationships. After so much movement and flux these past few years, my goal for 2024 is to sink in deeply and mindfully, and pour my energy into what serves my raison d’être.

I'm divvying up my time and energy amongst different categories of creative pursuits and personal development goals:

Producing/performing theater and clown

Writing essays, poetry, and fiction

Navigating my day job in instructional design

Opportunities for teaching (clown, Jewish studies, yoga)

Travel and adventure

Building community and relationships in my new home

Nurturing my health and wellbeing

In times past, I have felt energized and focused by what I brought into my life; other times, I felt drained and overwhelmed by it all.

So this year, I'm going to document it - how I spend each week across these different areas. What activities feed me, versus take from me? When do I give too much and have nothing left for myself?

I'm reminded of a teaching from yoga philosophy around sthira and sukha - finding equilibrium between strength and comfort, effort and ease. I want to find that sweet spot, where I can walk the line between sthira and sukha in how I pace myself across all these different pursuits. Grounding down into steady effort when needed, while also cultivating softness and spaciousness.

So, once a week, I'll tally up the previous 7 days - what projects got my time and energy, what didn't, how balanced did I feel, what do I need more or less of, etc.

I'm hopeful this reflection will help me find alignment, purpose, and sustainability across the many beautiful puzzle pieces of my life.

As the Jewish tradition says, 7 is the number sitting at the center of it all, binding together the physical and spiritual worlds.