TODAY, I have 2 QUERIES for you to consider. Firstly: How might the world look if each and every one of us claimed the vocation of being a BRIDGE-BUILDER? Secondly (and inextricably connected to the first query): Do you have regular practices of Places of Pause (PoPs) that will help you navigate life well and make life better, no matter how disrupted and difficult the day?

I believe our responses to these two questions matter a lot for you and for us all right here and right now – amidst protests and riots, the pandemic, work and financial uncertainty, and all kinds of everyday challenges and unknowns.

Regular rhythms of PoPs create a much needed space for us to take a beat and a breath to BE STILL, to PONDER, and to ENGAGE with wisdom and courage with whatever is going on around us and within us. On the best of days, they make life better, and on the worst of days – with the epic stressors that many are facing now – they are game-changing and, yes – bridge-building.

Claiming and crafting
this bridge-building vocation
will reorient your gaze and your gifts.
It is nothing less than REVolutionary.
Your thoughts, words, and actions
may be distinctively different.
Your actions will ripple out and grow from you,
making the world a bit brighter,
a bit better. 

3 nudges for inspired ACTion to fuel your PoP practice & bridge-building vocation:

  1. enJOY the below mini PoP right now and explore what being BRIDGE-BUILDER in life looks like for you. Or, immerse yourself in the full PoP (a 10-minute reading/experience) that will encourage you to be still and surrender, to ponder and discern, and to engage and commit. (FREE)
  2. WATCH this 10-minute PoP on being a BRIDGE-BUILDER, peruse the playlist this week and pick out a few other PoPs that intrigue you, or dive right in and commit to the whole 40-day video journey in which I guide you through 40 daily 10-minute PoPs. (FREE on your favorite social media platform: Facebook | IGTV | YouTube)
  3. COMMIT to the 40-day journey this summer through Soulfully Ablaze: A 40-Day Journey to Light Up Your Life (And the World) – check it out in print, audio, or e-book. If you want the book but can’t afford full price (oof! – these are lean financial times for many), email me and we’ll figure out a way to get you a copy.
Throughout the summer, I’ll be sharing this dual-nudge to fuel your PoP practice and embrace what I call, “vocations for all”: Bridge-Builders, Warriors, Peacemakers, Philanthropists, Hairdressers (stick with me here), and Explorers. Today, continue your exploration of BRIDGE-BUILDING below with a mini or full PoP.

 

Place of Pause

A MINI PoP on being BRIDGE-BUILDERS. Arms of bridge-building hospitality are powerful and far-reaching. This way of thinking and acting seeks to reach not only those who are familiar or in your comfort zone, but those who are wildly and beautyFULLY diverse. It’s about celebrating difference and finding places of similarity that take your breath away, filling life with more palpable purpose and connection than ever before … full PoP

BE STILL. 
A hopeful future
is rooted in peace.
Peace and pause within.
Peace, peace.
Breathe.
Be.

PONDER. How might seeing yourself as a bridge-builder impact your closest relationships with family and friends? How about when you watch the news and engage with people in faraway lands? Imagine how it will feel to increase the ways in which you embrace curiosity, even celebration, when you encounter a place of difference.

ENGAGE. Choose one person with whom to connect today—near or far, intimate friend or distant stranger. If nothing comes to you right away, go on the hunt for an opportunity to practice being a bridge-builder in your way … full PoP

 

Everyday Philanthropy

DONATE & be a bridge-builder with your dollars. Today, due to the ongoing COVID-19 lockdown, many women in India’s red-light districts are going hungry. Through our partnership with The Aruna Project – an organization working to ensure freedom, employment, and empowerment for sexually enslaved women – we are raising funds this month for food relief for women who are forced to remain in the brothels in Mumbai. Donate via GoFundMe (button below), Facebook, or email me if you’d prefer to write a check. More details about this project here. | GOAL: $4,000 (as of TODAY, just over $2,000 to go!) | COUNTRY: India

 

DEAR FRIEND, to embrace being a bridge-builder now is a crucial commitment in the context of humanity, in a big global way, as well as a deeply personal one. Every day, you encounter people and places in social media, in the news, at work, in your neighborhood, and within your family that may seem strange, scary, too much this or not enough that as you go about your life.

Imagine if, beginning with you, more and more people claim the work of bridge-building and endeavor to fiercely find ways and places to connect, despite differences and seemingly deep division. This vocation may lead you to one near and dear: your spouse, your child, a family member, friend, neighbor … or to one distant and different, due to culture, race, or religion.

As a bridge-builder, the next time you encounter a moment of difference, or of otherness, lean in, curiously ask questions, and really listen to and share with one another. I believe it will change you – and it will light up the world.

You are loved.
You belong.
We belong to each other.
Let’s standTALL together and light up the world!

xo, Sarah Davison-Tracy ❤️, Seeds of Exchange