July News

July Newsletter

49

Tomorrow, I turn 49.

I find it fascinating that I still don't feel "grown up."

I don't feel I have it all figured out.

I don't feel like, "well here we are you are done".

When I was younger, I imagined there would be a magical age when everything would make sense. A point where I would have life all figured out. I thought we eventually reached the destination, unpacked our bags, and simply cruised through the rest of life.

After all, that's the recipe we've been given.

Graduate high school. Then...what?

Graduate college. Then...what?

Build a career. Then...what?

Get married. Then...what?

Have children. Then...what?

Retire. Then...what?

Become a grandparent?

Then...what?

My life has never followed that linear path.

I've changed directions more times than I can count. I've worn more hats than I ever imagined possible. Hairdresser. Military. Lumber Mill Worker. Dialysis Nurse. Mother. Medium. Author. Teacher. Project manager. Healer. Speaker. Business owner...and countless versions of myself in between.

For many years, I shamed myself for that.

I thought changing directions meant I lacked commitment.

I thought trying something new meant I had somehow failed at the last thing.

I believed I was doing life wrong because I wasn't following the recipe society had written for me.

Lately, as I've been walking through the meadow each morning, I've been talking with my guides about this very thing.

When does it all settle down?

When do I finally figure it out?

When do I arrive?

Then, as clear as if someone were walking beside me, I heard:

"There is no destination."

I stopped walking.

There is...

no destination.

For a moment, I simply stood there letting those words sink in.

Then something unexpected happened.

Peace.

If there is no destination, then I haven't fallen behind.

If there is no destination, there is nowhere I should already be.

If there is no destination, then every detour wasn't a mistake—it was part of the journey.

Suddenly, I wasn't carrying the weight of trying to "arrive" anymore.

I realized I am proud of the life I've lived.

Proud that I was willing to change.

Proud that I chose curiosity over certainty.

Proud that I took a hundred different paths instead of staying on one simply because someone told me I should.

Every chapter has given me another piece of myself.

As I prepare to look 50 straight in the eye next year, I find myself wanting less certainty and more presence.

Less striving.

More living.

Less proving.

More being.

I no longer feel the need to chase a finish line that doesn't exist.

Today, my only destination is the next step.

The next breath.

The next sunrise.

The next conversation.

The next opportunity to love, to learn, to create, to stop becoming and simply be.

And strangely enough...

I've never felt more at peace.

What if there really isn't a destination?

What if life isn't asking you to arrive somewhere, but simply to keep walking with an open heart?

How would your life change if you stopped measuring your progress against someone else's timeline?

What if today...was enough?

Perhaps peace isn't found at the end of the journey.

Perhaps peace is found the moment we stop looking for one.

My Birthday Wish

Tomorrow, I celebrate another trip around the sun.

Birthdays have a way of making me reflect—not just on my own life, but on the world we are creating together.

Lately, I've found myself feeling both hopeful and heartbroken.

Hopeful because I know what humanity is capable of.

Heartbroken because I also see how disconnected we have become from the very Earth that gives us everything.

Sometimes I wonder...

When did convenience become more valuable than stewardship?

When did "disposable" become an acceptable way to describe the things we create?

When did we forget that every purchase, every meal, every choice leaves a footprint for those who come after us?

I don't have all the answers.

But I do know this:

Big change rarely begins with big change.

It begins with one small, conscious decision.

One person.

One family.

One community.

One choice repeated over and over again.

So this year, instead of wishing for something for myself, I'd like to ask for one small birthday gift.

The next time you go grocery shopping, choose just one product that is made a little more thoughtfully.

Maybe it's something packaged in compostable materials.

Maybe it's made from recycled content.

Maybe it's produced by a company working to care for the Earth and the people who make it.

Just one.

And if you're willing, choose one day this month to eat entirely plant-based.

Not because you have to.

Not because perfection is the goal.

But because curiosity creates change.

Every conscious choice is a vote for the kind of future we want to leave behind.

I often think about my daughter.

And one day, perhaps her children.

What kind of world will they inherit?

Will they remember us as the generation that knew better but kept consuming?

Or the generation that finally remembered we belong to the Earth—not the other way around?

We don't have to do everything.

But each of us can do one thing.

And when millions of people each do one thing...

The world begins to change.

That is my birthday wish.

Not for presents.

Not for cake.

But for one small act of kindness toward the only home we all share.

Because our grandchildren deserve more than our good intentions.

They deserve our action. 

*Kyah's Journey & Wisdom*

Hello, today I will be telling you about a lesson that I learned. So last month I talked about how I was open to new friends and found really nice people. Well, the last few days of school these girls that were the first to run up to me and ask for my schedule, complement everything I had on my first few days of school eventually got tired of me. I think they were spreading a rumor about me because one wouldn't talk to me, and the other one would not even look at me. Their actions made me think whatever they spread about me was bad and false. At first, it made me confused then it made me mad because they don't even know me. So why? Why did t to make it about me? I don't know. It took a while to brush off. I told myself that they just want attention.  And the only reason they do that is because they are so jealous because nobody will listen when they talk about themselves, so they have to talk about you to be heard. Also, something that I have learned is that, if they can talk bad about someone to you, they will talk about you to someone else. So just let them keep doing them and see where it gets them in life. As my sister would say, let the haters hate and the lovers love, I am here for it. I know that this month's story was short, but I hope it helped you as much as it helped me. I would also like to shout out my mom, HAPPY BIRTHDAY! Here's to being superhuman.

Get in Touch

---

melody@invokeandra.com 541-291-1240

Check out our site