State of Mind

Humans are nothing if not adaptable. Eon to eon, generation to generation, moment to moment, we are always changing, growing, learning. Sometimes the transition is conscious, other times unconscious. Sometimes aggressive, other times passive. Sometimes induced, other times imposed.

Genetically, we adapt to foreign environments; physically, we strengthen with exercise; intellectually, we learn new concepts. Socially, we join new circles; practically, we create fresh habits; mentally, we refocus our thoughts.

Of all our adaptations, it is this mental ability to refocus that I find most powerful and awe-inspiring. After all, what we focus on defines our sense of self. Focus defines the world we live in. Focus is the very heart of awareness, agency, and choice. We must, therefore, choose our lens with care.

What once made us angry, we can let go of and forgive. What once gave us anxiety, we can face and overcome. What once mired us in depression, we can pull out of and move forward. We can do this despite the sameness of the situation, the stillness of the environment, the eternity of the past. While the events may go unchanged, the narrative is up to us. We can redefine our existence with nothing more, with nothing less, than thought.

We can heal. We can recover. We can transcend.

Hang in there, my friend. We got this.