Time to recharge

Sarah McReynolds here from the Community Operations team filling in while Rachel takes a break to travel and recharge. 

Recharging is so important and rarely done in today’s fast-paced world. Recharging looks different to different people: whether that be traveling, spending time with loved ones, cooking a meal, and listening to or playing music. It all depends on how much you need to recharge. We all know the feeling of ‘Low Power Mode’ and struggling to get out of bed in the morning. More recently, we all know the feeling of being hesitant to check our phones and watch the news. 

I wanted to take some time to acknowledge the grief and pain that has been happening over the last few weeks with the shootings in Uvalde, Buffalo, and Laguna Woods. While I know there aren’t too many things I can personally say to make this all better, I wanted to share a poem by Linda Ellis that a friend of mine sent to me about grief and loss. 

The Dash

I read of a man who stood to speak at a funeral of a friend.  He referred to the dates on the tombstone from the beginning…to the end.

He noted that first came the date of birth and spoke of the following date with tears but said what mattered most of all was the dash between those years.

For that dash represents all the time they spent alive on earth and now only those who loved them know what that little line is worth.

For it matters not, how much we own, the cars…the house…the cash.  What matters is how we lived and loved and how we spend our dash.

So, think about this long and hard; are there things you’d like to change?  For you never know how much time is left that still can be rearranged.

To be less quick to anger and show appreciation more and love the people in our lives like we’ve never loved before.

If we treat each other with respect and more often wear a smile…remembering that this special dash might only last a little while.

So, when your eulogy is being read, with your life’s actions to rehash, would you be proud of the things they say about how you lived your dash?

           – Linda Ellis

How powerful is this piece when thinking about people we have lost? And how devastating is it that the dash was cut short for so many people in Uvalde, Buffalo, and Laguna Woods? 

I also wanted to take some space to honor those we have lost while serving our country. I know our supervisors and supervisees either are or work with veterans that have lost friends, family, and partners – their dash also cut short sacrificing their life for our safety. 

My hope is that everyone reading this will take some time to recharge this week, or make plans to recharge this month. We all need to in order to be our best selves during our own dash. It’s so hard to carve out time but so worth it to spend that time taking care of yourself. Taking moments to focus on wellness can help us cope with the collective and personal traumas we face. 

I appreciate everyone’s time and starting your week off with a moment from Motivo. I’ll be back next week while Rachel recharges and I would love to hear how you take time for yourself, if you have thoughts over Linda Ellis’ words, or if you want to say hello – I’m all ears. 

Thank you for letting me share and look forward to hearing from you.

Best,

Sarah McReynolds

Community Operations Specialist
Motivo

[email protected]