Remembering What Holds Us (Even in the Chaos)
When all other ground feels shaky, landing into love becomes the most stabilizing answer.
This month as a community, we’re exploring the theme of belonging.
I’ve been thinking a lot lately about a short story I once heard on a Tara Brach podcast…
There was a man whose car got stuck in the mud while driving through the countryside. He walked to a nearby farm for help, and the farmer assured him that his old mule, Warwick, could pull the car out. The man was doubtful—Warwick looked very small and frail—but the farmer confidently hitched him up and called out: “Pull, Fred! Pull, Jack! Pull, Ted! Pull, Warwick!” With surprising ease, Warwick pulled the car free. Amazed, the man thanked the farmer, and just as he was leaving, he asked “Hey, how come you called out all those other names before Warwick’s?” The farmer grinned and said, “Oh, Warwick’s just about blind. As long as he believes he’s part of a team, he doesn’t mind pulling.”
I love this story so much.
When our world feels like it’s unraveling—as headlines flood us with fear and we find ourselves exhausted by all the “awful” people doing awful things—it’s easy to feel isolated and defeated, like we’re pulling alone. But we’re not. We belong to a vast, unseen team—millions of people who, like us, are doing their best to meet this moment with care, courage, integrity, and love.
In especially turbulent times like right now, we can choose to steady ourselves by focusing on what’s within our reach:
🌳 Caring for ourselves deeply. Instead of spinning out in overwhelm, we root into what nourishes us—breathing, resting, moving, connecting, and coming back to the present moment.
😌 Offering small, bold acts of kindness. As Desmond Tutu said: “Do your little bit of good where you are; it’s those little bits of good put together that overwhelm the world.” A kind word, planting flowers in your garden, a moment of real presence with someone in need—it all matters.
🔎 Choosing where we place our attention. What we focus on expands. While we stay informed, we don’t have to marinate in fear. We can simultaneously turn toward moments of beauty, goodness, and the quiet yet mighty resilience of the human spirit. While anxiety, anger, and negativity are contagious….so are peace, resilience, and hope.
💓 Remembering we’re not alone. Just like Warwick, we pull with greater strength when we remember we’re part of something bigger. When the world feels dark, look for the helpers, the healers, the bridge-builders—and know that you are among them.
No matter how wild things get, we can return, again and again, to the truth that we are still here. We are still breathing. We are a part of something so much larger than ourselves. And we have the power to meet this moment – and our inner and outer life – with courage, possibility, and deep love.
Onward,
Rena
Rena Satre Meloy
Pause Cofounder