2: Gratitude in the Rebirth of Spring 🪺💐🌤

Hey there fellow seekers, this is Aaron from the Ohm-G podcast. As Spring is beginning to do it’s beautiful and wondrous thing, I hope that y’all are creating space for the new and exciting, for what is working only toward your highest good.

On Thursday of this past week, I woke up feeling completely depleted. I opened my eyes and was greeted with feelings of overwhelm and exhaustion (and that was after sleeping for 8 straight hours).

As any of you who are teachers, and especially those of whom are also empaths, understand, this time of the school year is incredibly intense: benchmarks, writing assessments, data analysis, prepping for final projects, field trips, end of grade tests, dances, graduations, parent conferences, professional development, lesson planning, checking in on my students’ emotional well-being, and the list goes on and on… and it’s enough to make any super hero need a 14 hour nap or at the VERY least, a mid-day cocktail.

However, on top of that, I’m working on a creative project with a friend, I’m in a friend’s upcoming wedding, I just went through the process of having my car break down and buying a new one, preparing and recording this podcast and newsletter, and writing my first novel, all the while trying to spend time with my family, friends, and self, and also thinking about finances, eating enough veggies, and trying to stay hydrated and sane. I’ve been feeling like I wake up each day, run a marathon, and go back to sleep in order to wake up and do it all over again. 

Even writing all of this now is helping me process and I’m thinking “Damn. Breathe!”

On Thursday morning, I poured myself a cup of coffee, added my oat milk and sat down with one of my dogs, cuddled in a blanket as I opened my Calm meditation app to do my morning meditation (which, shocker, has also been put on the back burner lately). I had to smile because that day’s guided meditation was titled “Little Gratitudes.” 

Not even 10 seconds prior, I felt like the only thing that would help me release what I was feeling would be to have a great big CRY. Have y’all ever felt that way before? Well, I couldn’t induce a good cry, so I meditated instead and was instructed to identify three small things in that moment to be grateful for. 

I immediately teared up, grinning and listed: this warm blanket, my sweet dog/companion, and my delicious coffee. All of those things are in addition to: waking up healthy and breathing, my wonderful family and friends, my job, the fact that I was able to get a new (used) car, my students, and this list ALSO goes on and on. 

Sometimes we find ourselves feeling like we’re drowning in the endless depths of the ocean, with no way out and no solution. In these moments, often times, we simply need to step back and observe our thoughts as passing clouds, fish in a stream, or Prosecco bubbles floating to the tops of our glass, whatever works best for you! lol 

Today, when trying to decide on a topic for this newsletter, I pulled an oracle card from The Spirit Animal Oracle Deck by Colette Baron Reid. My husband, Christian, and I were having a discussion this morning about writing my book. He encouraged me to focus my energy on that creative project because we both know it is part of my purpose here in earth school. 

He said “Once you focus and start writing, it’s only a matter of time until you have the Oprah’s book club sticker on the cover of your novel.” Y’all, he is one of my biggest blessings in this life. 

He said “You’ve got too much going on that is making you feel overwhelmed and pulling you in too many different directions. You need solitude.”

He should honestly be a therapist, but he’s also a middle school teacher, so in a way, he already is. 

Okay, I digress.. back to the card. 

Y’ALL. I pulled the Eagle Spirit card. Want to know what it said?! “Soaring on the wind, Eagle Spirit has appeared to ask whether you’re willing to soar to new heights, even if that means solitude for a short while. Truly, all the wisdom of the world is available to you. When storms flash above the sky, it is Eagle Spirit that raises you above it all, helping you conquer fear and overcome adversity…claiming what is truly yours in divine timing.”

Uhm, okay, Spirit. Message received, gurl. 

I hope that if you’re feeling stressed, overwhelmed, or depressed lately, lost and unable to pinpoint your purpose, that you’re able to remember that you’re a goddamned EAGLE, flying above all of the other birds with the inner wisdom to know that spirit is guiding the winds under your wings. In divine timing, you will also claim what is yours and take it back to the safety of your nest.

Happy Spring Equinox, loves. In this season of blooming and growth, may we all remember our strength, power, and resilience.

-Cheers,
Aaron Seabolt Barringer