Anchors

Let’s face it, there’s lots of noise happening right now. Every time we turn on the TV, we’re bombarded with noise. Every time we get on the Internet, we’re bombarded with noise. There’s tons of noise on social media. There’s noise at work. There’s even noise when we just go to the grocery store. It can be jarring, disorienting, unnerving, angering (not sure that’s a real word, but it is today 😉), overwhelming — basically, lots of “-ings.”

To that end, there are forces all around us pushing and pulling in multiple directions that seem to be devoid of humanity. It can be easy to feel like a boat adrift on an open ocean that can’t quite get its bearings. Which direction should I go? What issue should I address? How should I handle x, y, or z? How far up should I pull the blanket over my head?

Here’s what I’ve learned. Find the anchor point. Find the thing that keeps you grounded, that keeps you from becoming just a piece of debris in the maelstrom.

For me, my anchor point is humanity. And what I mean by that is doing my best to anchor any response in any situation I encounter in humanity. Am I always successful? Absolutely not. But it’s a North Star for me that lessens all the noise around me, that mitigates those forces that are vying for control, that reminds me we are all human beings that are fighting our own internal battles and deserve kindness, that any response I have (whether it’s a letter to our elected leaders or bumping into someone at Lowe’s) should be grounded in lifting humanity up vs. tearing humanity down.   

I never really appreciated the value of an anchor point until I did (how’s that for profound wisdom! 😁). Ultimately, for me, my anchor point helps me find stability, hope, and purpose to withstand emotional and circumstantial storms, as it were. It keeps me from being washed away. It grounds me. It holds me steady in times of turmoil. It gives me a framework to navigate life’s ups and downs.

And everybody’s anchor point is different. Some anchor points will be profound. Some anchor points will be rather simple. And that’s ok.

So…anchors aweigh? Hahahahaha. Hahahaha. Haha. Ha. <sigh>

Until next week.

Andy

(All written content created the old-fashioned way).