We Are All Gonna Make It

“I’m at a crossroads” - said at least 5 different people to me last week. “I know I can’t really complain about my job, they pay well and I work with some awesome people. But I keep asking myself: is there more to life? Could I find a way to follow my dreams and still make a living?”

My college roommate doesn’t ever want to work after 4pm again, and neither does any other mom I know. Even if they had prestigious managerial jobs before, this all changed after they had kids. They’re all trying to figure out how to work on a great team without late evening calls (the most interesting projects are always with the US), and how to take responsibility for important things when their kids are sick at home more often than not.

My cousin who randomly visited us this Monday is studying herbalism. She’s a certified dietitian who got tired of giving away prescriptions and now wants to focus on prevention and helping people cultivate a healthy life. She’s currently driving an Uber until she figures out how to make a living out of that.

A childhood friend I hadn’t seen in 20 years is now playing on crystal bowls at all sorts of retreats and ceremonies. A year or two ago she quit her job to become a massage therapist and is now healing people through touch, smells, sounds and her good energy in her apartment block. I visited her last month, she released so much tension out of my neck but I know we’ve barely scratched the surface.

Husband’s mom recently discovered adaptogens and got off psychiatric drugs with their help. Besides her daily yoga routine which she’s been following for 1.5 years, she’s also started visualizations to help her work with her inner child.

A software engineer who’s successfully healed his childhood trauma with the help of psychedelics is now beginning to guide his friends through the same process too. He has a beautiful house right next to the forest where they can all go and find themselves in the wild. He’s wondering if he should open a retreat center where other people could come and connect with their hearts and souls too.’

A band I saw in concert last night recorded a new album inspired by Polish folk religious songs. They sing about Jesus and Mary, but also about Slavic gods and demons in a way that’s raw, honest, powerful and real.

All the smartest, most reasonable and most rational people I know are now discovering yoga, tarot, sound healing, astrology, essential oils, and all sorts of ceremonies and rituals. They’re a bit shy about it, but they can’t deny there is a there there, and that it helps them make better decisions in life.

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A few years ago it felt like I was the only one among my friends and family interested in this kind of stuff. Now suddenly it feels like it’s everywhere. People who always made fun of tarot come to me for tarot readings. People who lived all their lives in their head are discovering their bodies now.

It’s almost as if we’ve collectively reached a point where we can’t subscribe to bullshit anymore, where we can no longer ignore our health, bodies, souls, dreams, and families. Where we all sense that a better life is possible, and even though we don’t know yet how to get there, we’re just gonna try different things and see what works and eventually we’re gonna figure it all out, one tiny step at a time.

In my heart I’ve never been more certain that one tiny step at a time, we are all gonna make it.