“We do not think ourselves into new ways of living; we live ourselves into new ways of thinking.”

—Richard Rohr

WHAT’S GOOD

Save the Date: Sprouts School Pasta Party Fundraiser

The Sprouts School Pasta Party Fundraiser will be held on our campus on Saturday, March 28th. Guests are invited to enjoy a shared meal along with a silent auction. Proceeds from the evening will support the Sprouts School Scholarship Fund, helping make the program more accessible to families. Tickets and additional event details are available through the event registration page.

Practicing Presence

Taylor Bates, Deputy Director, Sunset Ridge Collective

Last week, I experimented with deleting social media apps from my phone and stepping away from news media. I’d become overwhelmed—ruminating, spiraling, and feeling the weight of it all more than I could carry.

I was surprised by how easily I took to the transition. In the past, when I’ve gone through seasons of being “offline,” I’ve struggled with the constant urge to check apps and stay connected. This time was different.

Perhaps part of the reason was that I had so much to engage with offline—experiences that filled the space I’d been trying to fill with scrolling and consumption.

Over the last few weeks, our staff has spent time in our weekly meetings sharing personal experiences and emotions related to the unrest in our country, and discerning how we might respond as an organization and community.

We ultimately named that there are a few things we’re particularly good at offering: space for contemplation, room to dwell in the liminal, and opportunities for action, connection, and service.

Over the years, our organization has developed a kind of muscle memory for moments like this—for pausing, grieving, and praying when the unexpected fractures what once felt predictable. And then, when the time is right, we respond in ways that our particular community and neighborhood are uniquely positioned to do.

I noticed the difference in my body when I was in these spaces of collective contemplation and action—our staff meeting, a community thrift pop-up with our coffee trailer, One Another Coffee, raising funds for Nuevos Vecinos, and the prayer service we held Sunday night. My body felt more at ease. There was still pain and concern, but not the same sense of overwhelm or despair I felt when engaging online, alone at home.

*Community members enjoying outdoor yoga with NYX Wellness outside at Charis Park.*

There is something powerful that happens when we are embodied with one another—sharing pain, stories, and perspectives, and discerning together how to respond.

None of these moments could be fully captured or shared online. Even if we tried, an observer could never quite experience the subtle transformation of heart that becomes possible in spaces of shared humanity.

All of this has left me continuing to wrestle with how to be online in a healthy way. I want to be informed. I want to be engaged. And yet, I’m learning that I can be informed and engaged—perhaps even more so—when I invest my time and energy in being with others in intentional, grounded spaces. Listening to someone’s firsthand experience often carries a depth that no online commentary can replicate.

So I want to offer this reassurance: I’m learning that it’s okay—and good—to step offline. And if you notice people or organizations doing so, it is not necessarily a sign of apathy or ignorance. Often, it’s the posture of people who care deeply, who are navigating similar pain, and who are trying, as best they can, to live attentively and lovingly in the world.

May we each have the courage to embody love in our own unique and beautiful ways—beginning with the people right around us.