There is no greater gift we can give to ourselves and
one another than to open our minds to rethink and unlearn
what we’ve been sold And instead see beyond.
We may be weary, but we’re awake.
Our eyes are open; we refuse to stumble around the dark.
We seek the light, even when it exposes us,
searing away all we’ve known.
We reject oversimplified explanations of complexity.
We consciously choose awareness
over blind comfort and compliance.
Our Reflective Lens helps us see in new ways.
We think sleepwalking through life is a waste.
We are not held hostage by the beckoning call
of our phones, bosses, partners, parents, or children.
We relish presence, not frenetic mode.
We don’t let ideals of perfect sabotage good enough.
We don’t confuse doing with being.
We know lamenting about the past and ruminating
about the future are traps of the mind.
Even in the midst of chaos, we breathe in impermanence, using our mindful lens to stay focused and accepting.
We think jumping through all the hoops set out for us is dangerous.
We see beyond our narrow selves, seeking
ways to be global contributors.
We know self-efficacy is good, collective efficacy is better.
We don’t need prescriptive or patriarchal
formulas to govern our lives.
We refuse to politely comply with indoctrination
that squashes our truths,
or limits the lifeblood of human growth and
potential at any time or place.
We are unbound, wielding our universal lens
to break free from centric,
and open up to shared possibilities.
We think ignorance sucks.
We don’t need to constantly fix ourselves.
We’re already magical in raw form.
We need honest voices, collaboration, global spaces.
Where science + art + culture + spiritual epically fuse—
Instead of bickering about who’s the boss. . . .
Places where we can let our hair down, check pretenses at the door, be as real as humanly possible, roll sleeves up,
strip down, and rebuild.
Where chronological, linear, and fixed give way
to fluidity and curiosity.
Where the way we’ve always done things vanishes,
giving rise to new horizons.
We are agile thinkers, using our imagineering lens
to overturn stagnation and go beyond.
We think basic is boring.
We’re okay with getting a little roughed up.
Messy and raw give us needed experience.
Our wrinkles, bruises, and bumps show off our grit.
We breathe impermanence. Suffering and joy are life’s air—
We take turns inhaling and exhaling them both.
We don’t insulate ourselves, or those we love, in bubble wrap—
Instead, we lean in to the possible lessons of each moment.
We walk barefoot and brave—
Our feet anchor earth, but our souls cannot be tethered.
We think falling down hurts, but we don’t hermit
away from life because of it.
Waking up is our strength.
Tuning in is our way back to center.
Breaking free is our birthright.
Going beyond is our dance.
We think outside the box, and within the
endless twists of our life spiral.
We’re not airbrushed, contrived, or scripted.
We are messy, raw ruminators, rebels, renegades, skeptics,
underdogs, misfits, and recovering try-too-hards who
make learning self-compassion a daily lesson.
We’re made of steel and stardust; salt and bone
(not sugar, spice, everything nice, snakes, snails, or
puppy dog tails—or any broad-brush imposition recipes
for thinking or behaving).
We think we owe it to ourselves, and one another,
to embrace multiple lenses
and move beyond myopic constructions
that corrupt the human spirit.
We link arms in solidarity, looking for gateways to
finding the good life together.
We’re not strong or certain every second.
Sometimes we’re scared and wobbly—
But we’re always moving, always agile, always mentalligent.