JULY 2025

LIFE | LOVE | LOSS

“Create the things you wish existed.” 

– Elizabeth Gilbert

CREATE

“Acceptance doesn’t mean resignation; it means understanding that something is what it is and that there’s got to be a way through it.”

• Michael J. Fox

Happy July!

This beautiful month with longer, warmer days inspires us to be outside, take breaks from work, and get together with family and friends.  It’s the time of year to put your toes in run-off water so cold it takes your breath away.  To be outside in temps so hot the sweat rolls down your back!  To watch a parade, sit under fireworks, go to a rodeo or a derby.  Or perhaps do none of those things, crank the AC down a degree or two and hide inside! 

Whatever brings you joy, and peace create a little more of that!

I know of people right now who are struggling with significant health challenges.  I heard today of someone in an auto accident who lost their spouse and whose health insurance isn’t active yet.  There are political strife’s here in America and abroad.  We can easily get lost in the chaos and turmoil of the world.  I love the quote below.

Life will have moments that are so beautiful and so magical they can steal your breath from your lungs. Other moments or circumstances will test the very fabric of your being pushing you mentally, physically, emotionally, financially or all these ways at once.  It can bring you to your knees metaphorically or literally.  A lot of life is routine, mundane even in the rhythms of daily routines, what to eat, work, school, kids, sports, religious activities, rinse, repeat.  The ordinary takes up a lot of the days, weeks, even years of our lives.

This month I invite you to create fun, magic, and enjoyment in the ordinary.  The hard things will come, let them.  The amazing breathtaking moments are few and far between.  Let us add focus, intentional awareness to the ordinary each and every day.  What could that look like for you?  Smiling at strangers?  Lighting a candle for dinner each night?  More compliments and fewer criticisms? Less screen time for you or those in your home?  If so, replaced by what?  How can you create fun in your day-to-day life?  Different earrings to see if anyone notices?  Funny socks with sayings on them?  What feels silly to you that you can create in the day to day ordinary moments of life with little effort?

Make your life be something you want and like it to be!  Add small things to your environment that make you smile.  Give in places and ways that bring satisfaction to your soul.  Reach a little further into charitable assumptions towards others allowing them to be where they are while you may think or feel differently than they do.  Let us start to create places and spaces where kindness and joy are the norm!

Mental Health Moment:

“Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can.”

• Jenny Sue

This month we are focusing on the men in our lives, giving extra attention to their wellbeing.  Below are stories and resources shared from the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. 

Men need self-care, they need mental and emotional support for themselves and from those who love and support them in living their best lives.

“Here are some more stories and resources we encourage you to explore –– whether you’re a man looking for mental health support, or know men who are:

• From the Real Stories Blog:

• “Seeking Help Is an Act of Courage”
• “Julie’s Spirit Is With Me in My Advocacy”
• “As a Suicide Attempt Survivor, I Know There Is Hope Out There”
• From The Strong Talk Podcast:
  • “Building a Path to Suicide Prevention in the Construction Industry”
  • “Asian in America with Richard Lui”
  • “Funny Feelings (Part 1) with J.B. Smoove”
  • “Man to Man”

This month and beyond, help spread the message among the men in your life that it’s okay to not be okay, that they’re not alone, and that there is help available.

Let’s look out for each other.

All my best,

Genna