What is your most powerful go-to medicine?

Life can be very messy.

No matter where you are stuck or overwhelmed, how does identifying and using your go-to medicine support your optimal health?

Sometimes the mess can be predicted and could have been prevented if we had used more forethought -- like the mess that happens when an elderly parent dies and leaves a large house filled with a lifetime of acquisitions for someone else to deal with.

But often, the mess is less predictable or preventable and is part and parcel of being human... broken hearts, jangled nerves from traumatic situations, chronic illness, exhaustion from care-taking, strenuous committee work, family disconnection.

Powerful, go-to medicine can soften the sting inherent in a whole-hearted, fully-in, not-stuffing-everything-down life.

There are many powerful go-to medicines to choose from and none of them come from a bottle. Rather, they come from the very roots of being human.

When I am deep in the midst of mess, I often notice that I feel isolated. So one of my most powerful go-to medicines is the feeling of "belonging"... to people and things that matter to me. By paying close attention, I can summon this powerful medicine to myself whenever I need it and soften the feeling of isolation by reminding myself that I belong.

When I hold my daughter's soft hand, my spirit reminds me that I belong.

When I have breakfast with a lovely friend and we compare notes about what we think we are here to accomplish during this lifetime, my mind reminds me that I belong.

And when I feel the soft warm ocean air blow across my cheeks, the soft sand between my toes, and hear the birds chattering away, my body reminds me that I belong.

I belong to this world, to these people, and they belong to me. The feeling of isolation melts away and I more resiliently ride the waves of the messes in my life.

When I remember my go-to medicine, it feels super healthy.

What is your most powerful go-to medicine?

Make identifying and using your go-to medicine, on a regular basis, a healthy habit.