Trusting "Enoughness"
What this means and why it's so hard right now
With the maelstrom of devastating news, political instability and chaos that is occurring in the world there seems to be a feeling of unease and fear in the air. Uncertainty. Trepidation. Anxiety. Within that swirling mix of emotion and experience may come a sense of being powerless and frozen.
This may not be your experience, but amongst myself, those in my local community, virtual communities and people I work with in yoga classes/grief circles it has been a common sentiment.
“I don’t know what to do.”
“Will anything I do make a difference?”
“I feel frozen and unable to do anything.”
“I’m completely overwhelmed by everything going on in the world.”
All of these responses make sense given the deluge of actions the Trump Administration has taken in the past month. THIS IS INTENTIONAL. The oppressive systems are meant to be violent and traumatic. This is not new but seems to have ramped up a notch (or A LOT OF NOTCHES) recently.
It is an adaptive response by our bodies, minds and nervous systems to move into collapse, freeze or flight/fight. AND we must find ways to ground, resource and nurture ourselves and each other in collapse times. (or the Long Dark or the Great Unraveling/Great Turning or Polycrisis-chose the words that work for you).
I personally have been pendulating back and forth, day to day, moment to moment. One second feeling mad as hell and READY to take action/taking action. The next minute I feel collapsed, hopeless and stuck in despair- planning to order the biggest bag of beans I can find and hunker down. (hoarding beans is something Sarah and I talk about when we are in fear/scarcity mode around what is happening in the world).
In order to ground and resource myself I have been finding nourishment and support in several places. Friends, family, my yoga community, and in two virtual groups/communities I am a part of.
One of the groups, the Soulful Life Convivium, is an amazing group that formed 4 years ago and meets weekly. I recently joined in October 2024 and am SO thankful for this group. (they are opening up the community to new members in April if you are interested in joining). Each week we commit to showing up, tending our soul, partaking in ritual, and sharing in big and small groups.
The other place I’ve found connection is in a 6-week group called A Foundations of Wholeness: A Work That Reconnects Spiral Series that began in January, right after Donald Trump was inaugurated. This group explores the work of Joanna Macy and invites participants to feel, respond and participate in The Great Turning. (the term Joanna Macy uses to describe the world we hope to create as business as usual unravels)
Knowing I have a space to go to be held, heard, seen, listen to others, cry, dream, laugh, and participate in rituals has been SO needed and necessary. Last week in these groups we explored connecting to what each of our unique gifts and medicine are. What can I bring forth and offer into the world to respond to the challenges, pain and beauty that I see all around me?
As I considered this question and thought of how this might be showing up in my life and what I am doing currently, I had the thought -
“What if I trust that what I’m doing is enough?”
The “doing” part of me is always wondering if what she is doing is enough, matters enough, is good enough, big enough, or bold enough? She pushes me to go, go, go. She also wonders if what others are doing is “enough?” She wants to police and judge other people’s actions.
Ironically enough, today after I started writing this essay about “Trusting Enoughness” I got into a conflict with my husband because I was upset and feeling he wasn’t “doing enough” to respond to what is happening in the world. Fueled by fear, anger and deep concern for the future of my children I couldn’t help but zero in on him, his choices, action/inaction and start a not super helpful back and forth argument.
The fear of not “enoughness” in myself and in others is often rooted in a sense of scarcity which derives from the very systems and structures that I so desperately want to divest from and dismantle. (capitalism, patriarchy, white supremacy, ableism, homophobia)
Ughh… This is where I take a deep breath, feel my feet on the ground and reconnect to what else is possible. Dignity. Safety. Belonging. Connection. For myself and for every other being on this planet. Abundance. Love. Enoughness.
I in fact will ever know what “enough” is when it comes to showing up in the falling apart world we find ourselves in. What if I move forward with the assumption and trust in the belief that I am enough and that my unique gifts are enough?
This reminded me of something that Francis Weller said recently in a Soulful Living gathering. When speaking to the current times we find ourselves in he said,
“Our soul responsibility is to throw as many seeds as possible into the darkness…
And isn't darkness what the seeds require? They require a place of incubation and enough warmth. If the soil is too cold, they won't sprout. So we have to keep the soil warm with our attention and our affection, our ability to express what is there. with no guarantee.
We don't do this because we're guaranteed an outcome. We do it because it’s our soul responsibility to nourish life, to feed life.”
We just don’t know. And yet each of us are invited to participate in our own way. Trusting that is enough. Not wasting any extra mental energy on score keeping, tallying, policing, judging or finding the “right” thing to do. In her book Loving Corrections adrienne maree brown writes, “Everyone has to find the actions that generate their inner peace, their inner knowing that they are doing all they can in a time when nothing feels like enough.”
We need action and participation from a grounded and centered place, not an urgent reactive presence. We need to be in relationship with one another- encouraging our friends, family and community members to participate and respond to what is happening in the world. Lovingly holding each other accountable. We need discernment to know when to “be” and when to “do.”
I recently happened across this exquisite essay by Bayo Akomolafe titled A Slower Urgency. He writes, “I learned, a long time ago, about a particular saying from the continent I grew up on: “the times are urgent; let us slow down.” In the slowing down, the not knowing, the deep listening and humility, new ways of being and proceeding may arise. It is so counter-cultural and goes against our initial impulses to respond to crisis quickly AND might be exactly what is needed to dream a new way forward.
Choosing to slow down (which for many people is a privilege in a capitalistic culture rather than being a core faculty of being human) invites me into the space to trust enoughness and the abundance that is present through the natural world in so many ways.
Presence invites me into a space of BEING that informs my DOING in the world. Slowing down invites me into a space to be with the unknown, fear, my scared clenched heart AND the vast mystery, soul and interconnectedness that is present.
adrienne maree brown writes, “What you change in yourself and your own life matters: it ripples out through authentic relationships to form a web that can meet the future. I feel us all in this web, I feel us growing it.”
I have to choose to believe in the ripples right now. In the web we are creating together. One small thread at a time. Each small choice, smile, moment of laughter, shared grief, rallying cry, act of kindness, blessing, and ritual. Trusting it’s enough. Knowing that I probably will never know for sure if that’s true.
But what else am I going to do? Will you join me?
Below find some ways to connect and deepen into this work of trusting enoughness, slowing down, and responding skillfully in the Long Dark and the Great Turning.
ROOTED TENACITY
Sarah and I invite you to join us in community with a new virtual circle we are offering.
This offering arose from a call both of us feel to support, connect and empower those who are changemakers, advocates, activists, leaders and tricksters within times of uncertainty, change and collapse.
Rooted Tenacity is a group coaching circle that meets twice a month for group coaching sessions and embodiment and soul activism practices. It is an opportunity to find a sense of deep rootedness to your longings, purpose, and vision for a future we can fall in love with.
We are inspired by the image of a tree, deeply rooted into an ecosystem of reciprocity, belonging and connection. From this rooted place the tree reaches up and out, its gnarly knotted branches continuing to find the tenacity to sustainably move towards what is life affirming.
Find out more information HERE.
Register HERE.
Please message us with questions about this offering
Finding Center: A 4 week virtual yoga series
This four-week series is designed to provide support, grounding, and connection amidst the uncertainty, chaos and fear we are experiencing culturally and politically. As we navigate "The Long Dark," a time of collapse, instability, and endings we must find places of belonging and nourishment to sustain ourselves and each other.
Each week I will invite us to gather for an all-levels yoga class which will include a centering embodiment practice, yoga postures, breathing exercises and time to connect with one another.
Register HERE and find out more about me on my website
The sessions are on Zoom and will be recorded if you can't attend live.
The practice is adaptable to all bodies and abilities. You could practice in a chair or on a yoga mat.
Dates: Thursday March 13th, 20th, April 3rd and April 10th (skip March 27th for spring break)
Time: 12:00-1:00 PM CDT
Cost: Tiered pricing $40, $60, $80, $100
If cost is prohibitive, please email me for a scholarship spot