Refuel… August’s Theme

Spider web with words “Let’s Refuel Together”

Good day, everyone.

This post marks the first day of August and the beginning of a new monthly theme. We’ll be talking about refueling this month— not of the gasoline variety, but of the refueling all living beings need to keep going. Because it is the first week of the month, this post will give you an overview of what to expect.

We’ll take time to notice what gives us energy and what drains our energy as individuals and collectives.

Not only will we notice what adds to and depletes our energy, we’ll also practice taking action on what we notice. And of course, expanding our awareness and possibilities of what those occupations (anything you do that occupies your time) are will be part of the conversations.

Do you need a refill?

Have you ever had someone refill your gas tank when you were running low (literally or metaphorically)? Some of the moments we have likely felt most cared for and understood may have involved someone noticing us looking a little droopy or when our modes of transportation were literally running near empty and so people took it upon themselves to aid in a refuel. We are grateful for these kind and active observers as we likely have all had moments where we are so caught up doing what we think must be done that we forget to check what we need to refuel.

How far can you drive on empty?

Sometimes we know we are running on fumes but we decide to push things just a little further because we don’t see another way— or we recognize that what we are asking of others leads for them to have little means to refuel and yet our habits lead us to continue as is.

This month, I’d like to issue an invitation to join me in observation and actions— the invitation is to you as individuals and you as the collective. (Ustedes— Spanish speakers, if there is a better English equivalent for the collective version of you— please share!) The web in this photo serves as a reminder we are all connected— what affects one, affects all and so honoring this truth is likely to be far more effective in finding out what truly refuels us all.

Where to begin

We’ll consider questions such as:

What refuels you and the other individuals around you? How can our observations influence our daily choices?

Are you noticing your energy being siphoned or someone else’s energy being siphoned? If your energy or someone else’s is being drained— what actions might help?

What are you ingesting or absorbing daily that refuels or drains you? We’ll notice things like foods or other ingested items, meaningful and meaningless activities, words both written and spoken, movement— does it nourish your mental, emotional, spiritual and physical health?

What are the baseline energy levels of people and how does understanding each of our differences help us appreciate these differences and act with compassion in beneficial ways?

A sneak peek at the month ahead

We’ll continue with our 7 blog categories this month with a shift from reset to refuel. Some of the topics we’ll be covering this month include:

Unlearning: Why it matters to refueling, what we love about building unlearning structure and what we may not

Words to Know and Grow: What does occupied mean? How do pre-occupied, over or under occupied affect our energy levels and refueling?

Enfolding and unfolding— we’ll learn more about these concepts in words to know and grow as helpful tools to manage our energy.

Rhythms of Everyday Living: How we can take cues from nature as the seasons begin to shift, preparing for a new academic year, adjustments to routine during a pandemic, and more.

Being and Rest as Occupations: What does being and rest look like around the world, our beliefs about rest and how they impact us and others, making space to rest as part of being a citizen (one who is willing to be accountable for and committed to the well-being of the whole), and how one occupational therapist is caring for her community by taking all of these things into account

Lives Well Occupied: Lessons from Near and Far: What occupations refuel us— we’ll hear from guests around the globe this month about some of their favorite occupations to refuel, what factors influence their participation in these occupations and what we can learn from one another. This month’s stories include experiences from the UK, Australia, Minnesota, and more.

Reflections: Each week, we build in a pause to reflect on how the week has gone and how what we are learning or unlearning relates to everyday living. You can look for questions to aid your reflective process each Saturday.

Monthly themes: Sundays will be a day that pictures speak louder than words with images that remind us to refuel.