From a happy Friday to a heavy Monday…here we are in the wake of not just one mass shooting but TWO in the the course of just 13 hours. What a heartbreaking weekend and what hard news to digest.

I spent my weekend in the bubble that is yoga teacher training. It’s hard to put into words what these trainings feel like. It’s like you’re in a cocoon of love, support, vulnerability and acceptance. It feels very counter to the competition, judgement, fear and seperateness that we often face in our everyday lives.

It’s encouraging to watch people from very different backgrounds come together so seamlessly thanks to a common interest. The bonds they create and they way that they are able to see each other, support each other and hold space for each other is nothing short of a miracle. It brings me a lot of hope.

The news I faced coming out of the weekend was difficult to read and watch. I sat on the couch this morning drinking my coffee and watching a GMA special report with tears streaming down my face.

According to CBS News, there have been more mass shootings than there have been days of the year in 2019.

“As of Sunday, which was the 216th day of the year, there have been 251 mass shootings in the U.S., according to data from the nonprofit Gun Violence Archive, which tracks every mass shooting in the country. The Gun Violence Archive defines a mass shooting as any incident in which at least four people were shot, excluding the shooter.”

I feel guilty for not addressing these violent events on my blog or social platforms as they happen but there are just SO MANY now that if feels impossible to do in a meaningful way. Even still, I was alarmed to scroll through my Instagram feed this morning and find hardly a mention of the weekend’s two mass shootings. How has this become our new normal?

I looked at Finn this morning and just prayed for him and all of our nation’s children that this will not be the world they grow up in. One where they practice active shooter drills and don’t feel safe in public or even at school. I also pray for the strength and wisdom to raise a son who is loving, tolerant and kind to all beings.

Along with these prayers, I’m taking action. Today I’ll be making donations to organizations who are working for gun safety and control as well as contacting my local elected officials. I hope you will do something too.

Thank you for being here for everything that I write and share from the day-in-the-life recaps to the workouts to the recipes to the deep dives. I truly believe wellness expands far beyond what we are eating and how we are working out so from time to time I feel that it’s important to use my platform and my voice in other ways.

Sending a lot of love out to all beings everywhere today,
Jen