Daily Compass

“Our bodies inherently have value; our bodies are where we live, and they’re the container for all of our experiences—including our religious and/or spiritual experiences. If we tolerate or perpetuate the devaluing of other people’s bodies, we’re also willing to devalue their spiritual experiences. Ableism is the centering of able bodies and experiences over disabled bodies and experiences, while simultaneously devaluing and erasing those disabled bodies.” -UUMA Ableism Task Force

What are the ways in which your body is and is not valued? How can you see your inherent worth today?

“Productivity” is a way of turning people into machines, of dehumanizing us and centering others. Self-care–including rest–is important. You are important enough to rest.

Take a nap today, even a brief one. It’s ok, really.

Sometimes, we find our own center in relationships, in conversations, or even in therapy. A real conversation allows two people to share the center, to share the circle.

Have a meaningful conversation with someone today.

The practice of seeing ourselves as beautiful is, for some, a lifelong struggle. You have permission to see beauty when you look in the mirror. You have permission to understand that you are beautiful, and to do what you need to to feel that beauty radiate from you.

Look at yourself and know that you are beautiful.

“A large part of my childhood was spent in Turkey. Occasionally, on nights when we were particularly routy my dad would round up all the kids and take us to see the whirling dervishes. The dervishes are part of the Mevlevi Order and they would perform this “dance” as part of their faith practices. It is a form of meditation, prayer, and centering that brings them closer to God. The “dance” is mesmerizing to watch. They spin, and spin, and spin. We would all sit there in awe. It is almost impossible to describe. When I was younger, I would wonder, “How are they not dizzy? How do they not fall over? Do they ever trip?” I remember finding it odd, how could they feel grounded and closer to God with their bodies whirling ’round and ’round like that? As I’ve grown up, I’ve thought about the dervishes a lot. They remind me that sometimes we need to whirl to unwind. Sometimes we need to experience the dizziness to get to the clarity. We all can learn how to center ourselves and feel the holy, even in the moments when our world feels upside down. Especially in those moments.” -Tanner Linden

How do you center yourself in the middle of a whirlwind?