America the Beautiful

This week I am wanted to provide a quick follow up on the previous episode where I detailed my rocky return to everyday life from a 4-week nature vacation.  I share the strategy I use to identify what was needed and to take actionable steps toward finding balance.

I also share a realization from the trip about how you can completely shift your perspective by turning off the noise and choosing to experience people and places as opposed to receiving the fear-based narrative that dominates our culture.  In the days when media would like you to know how awful everything and everyone on the 'other side' is, I found myself truly in love with this land.  And that is what I am bringing forward.  I choose to focus on and amplify the energy of what is right, what is beautiful, what is shared and enjoyed.

And I am asking for your help!

With love - Susan

Transcript

Rise and shine, everybody. It's time to wake up with Susan. Spiritual awakening can be a beautiful, messy, and sometimes lonely journey. 

So let's do it together. I'm your host, Susan Sutherland. I'm an intuitive healer and spiritual mentor.

We are all called to rise up above our conditioning and limiting beliefs, and shine our light on ourselves and others. So let's get to it. Hi, family. 

Welcome back this week. I'm doing a little bit better, and I hope you are. I spoke with several different people who said they were also just experiencing a lot of turmoil in their relationships or in their inner workings, just feeling not at peace and just kind of discombobulated.

So I know there's so much more going on energetically right now in this phase we're in. And so we're just being challenged to kind of show up for ourselves and recognize that things are not always a smooth road, but a smooth scene doesn't make a skilled sailor. Isn't that what they say? And honestly, we're talking about monorail versus roller coaster. 

Which one did you sign up for? Because none of us came for the monorail. We're not here for everything to be status quo all of the time. We came to experience these different challenges and these different opportunities to know ourselves through challenges, through things that go well, through things that don't go well. 

So I kind of confess that I was not doing well last week. My return home was hard, y'all. Hard. 

It was hard. I'm trying to think of a hello synonyms. Give me another word for hard. 

It was difficult. It was challenging. I'm still working through a lot of that stuff, but I got to the place of trying to figure out what I'm being shown. 

What are my lessons and what's coming home? What do I need to simplify to make myself feel that kind of freedom? What do I need to really return to loving this life I created? I loved my life and I came home and I was like, no, I don't want to do this. I don't want to live this life I created. So that's me being, it was a lot to go through, but I'm being honest with you because if I'm standing out in the rain telling you it's sunny, that is not being authentic. 

And when I decided, it was like, hey, you're in the rain right now. That was the best thing I could have done, is not wish it away, but just say, yep, I'm getting wet. And then afterwards it was like, okay, you're wet. 

What happened during this? What are you meant to pull from it? And sometimes it's just like, you know, we're gonna get wet. So I let you know that I was really off with my practices. I came home. 

The time zones were all screwed up for me. I'm staying up way too late. The Olympics did not help with that. 

And I had to get back on track when I was sitting there knowing that I did not feel well and saying, have you meditated? Have you gone to the gym? Have you done all of these things that I know I require as a reset and really as maintenance? Like these need to be daily practices that I have in order to feel my best. And I started putting those back into my routine, like showing up for myself in ways that I know I need to. And it's interesting because I was having a conversation with Mark and he was saying, well, how do I start doing that again? Because he's kind of fallen off that kind of practice himself. 

And it's one of those things where this is where discipline comes in. The awareness to say, okay, wait a second, I have fallen off of what I know I need to be doing for myself. And discipline is what you require until the motivation sets in. 

And just like going to the gym, if you go continuously several days a week, it starts feeling so good that you want to be there. But the discipline is what will help you get there until that motivation kicks in. So anyway, one of the things I do with my mentoring clients is go through a wellness wheel each week. 

And you just kind of rate how you're feeling in different categories. And I had to look at mine. That was one of the things I've got to get back to really recognizing where I'm showing up. 

There's always a give and take. Um, when you're really focused on one thing, a lot of times something else will, you know, kind of fall behind. We're, we're human and we have, we have this time and space to play within, but a lot of times it has its constraints. 

And so if you're really super focused on something at work, perhaps your nourishment has, has scaled down, you know, you're, you're eating takeout or doing something that's quicker because your career is requiring so much from you, but it's really important to have that check-in. So the things that I include on my wellness wheel for me to check into are nourishment, movement, mindset, which can be, um, meditation, journaling, things that I feel really help me connect with myself, community and connection, restoration, sleep, um, surroundings, purpose and passion and personal growth. Now for me, purpose and passion and personal growth are a lot of times really tied together because my personal growth is my passion.

It is also tied into community and connection. And so when I was going through the wheel, what I noticed was even with this trip away, where I had a lot of family connection, I had a lot of movement and I, you know, I had a lot of connecting with nature. What I didn't have when I was gone was working with clients, which really fills me up in, in a magnificent way. 

I really am fueled by the opportunity to work with others. I didn't have the community and connection from my book club. We put the book club on pause. 

And so we weren't having these daily lessons where even if we don't talk about the lesson, we kind of have this shared understanding of what each one is listening to today. And then we have a weekly meeting where I connect with them and I didn't have that. And I didn't join Derek Grant's weekly meetings. 

And so I was missing out on these opportunities that I normally have to connect with others who are on the spiritual journey. I wasn't recording my podcast. And even though nobody's talking back to me, this feels like connection to me because I, I, I feel the community of people who listen. 

And, um, this is one of the ways I find connection is by sharing my journey with you all. And so while I was traveling, I really didn't have any of that connection to my spiritual growth, to, to that community that I, I love and really need, um, in this process. And what I found kind of in, in some deep reflection and some serious accountability is I think I was really placing more expectation on Mark to provide what he normally is not required to and, and doesn't. 

This is not his role for me is to be part of my spiritual community. However, because that bucket was so empty, it made me really feel that lack. Now I will tell you, it's not like there's a alarm that goes off and says, Hey, this bucket is empty. 

That's why you're being a bee. You know, like there's, there's not that I had to sit down and say, Whoa, I'm really out of sorts here. And I have a lot of friction in this relationship.

Where's this coming from? And a lot of it is from both of us having a hard time adjusting to getting back. But also because I had areas that needed tending to and had not identified that yet, I was putting more pressure on him to, to kind of fill me up in ways that I don't, I don't expect that of him because I have these other resources for that. And so it really took me sitting down and being candid and honest with myself in this wellness wheel to say, All right, what's missing here? What's missing in this equation? And what are the action steps I'm going to take to remedy this? And also, you know, what dumps or fires have I created by allowing my buckets to get empty? And I had to really tend to that and say, Okay, what's going on here? And how can we fix it? And so part of that is realizing I really need those connections.

I have my book club this weekend, it was magnificent to see my girls. And I just need to make sure in all of the busyness and the running around and committing myself so fully to these ragamuffins that I am also making time for that connection. For me, like it was so great this week when I took my daughter to soccer to meet a friend out for dinner and connect with her and it had been so long. 

And so just making that time for myself is really important. And so why I'm telling you this is because if you have not been able to identify what you need, start by looking at what is missing. What are the areas that I don't feel complete in? And what are the action steps I can take to make sure I'm doing better now with everything related to your health? I think the worse you feel, the harder it is to do the things that will make you feel better.

So you have to you have to bring the determination when you are tired, when you're burnout, when you're overworked, you're not like, well, let me do some healthy food meal prep. Let me get to the gym. I feel so tired. 

Let me go to the gym. However, I'm telling you, those are the things that are going to help you. Eating nourishing food and getting to the gym and doing a walk and talk with a friend. 

These are things that will really turn the tide when we've got this. I don't know. I was feeling so crazy. 

I went and listened to one of Ulrika Sullivan, who I had on the podcast for Galactic Reading. Normally I go to the astrologers. I have them tell me about me. 

What is my understanding of me? So I know how to work with these energies. But I was feeling so wackadoo. I was like, I'm sure she's got some kind of current reading up there that I can tap into. 

So I went and listened and it was like 142 planets in retrograde or something. I don't even know what that means y'all. I just know it sounds like energy is wacky, which made it feel like it's not just me. 

But me is my responsibility. So I still have to take the action steps to ride the ship. I feel like I am well on my way. 

So that is what I wanted to tell you. First, because I had so many people say, hey, I'm also feeling scrambled and crazy and overwhelmed. So if you haven't taken those steps to really evaluate where you're lacking, what is what's the bucket that is the lowest and how can you make some actionable steps towards filling that up. 

So you're going to do it and I'm proud of you in advance for those taking those steps to feel better. But what I want to talk to you about today is our beautiful country. Now I went to six states, five of them I have never been been to before, except maybe like a layover. 

That doesn't count. So five brand new states and one other state. And this is what happened. 

Right before we left on our trip, I made a huge mistake you guys huge. Let me tell you what it was. I clicked on some Instagram reels that were really funny, like laugh out loud funny, but they were about the Trump and Biden debate. 

And you want to talk about screwing up an algorithm. I went from having the most uplifting Instagram you can ever imagine. Like it is one positive thing after another to having just so much political stuff.

And some of it was really funny. And I kept clicking on it. Like I did myself a dirty. 

I messed myself up so much by clicking on a couple of those videos where it has them talking about freaking golf or has the two old men going, huh, what? Like that's our debate. And I'm not gonna lie. I was laughing. 

And it was like one of those nervous laughters where it did kind of make me terrified for the country. Like really in all of these people, in all of these people, this is what we have put forth as our best chance for leadership. But part of me also understands that America has a collective energy. 

And it's kind of like we've talked about before where if you get a niggle and you don't listen, the knocks gonna get louder. Like you'll have one little symptom and then you'll have another symptom and things kind of progress until it's like, okay, something's really wrong. Let me figure it out. 

And I kind of feel like that's what America is going through. It's like we try to let you know that perhaps some of your politicians are on the take or, you know, you've got very us versus them mentality in your country. There have been plenty of signs where we didn't have to wait until it escalated this far. 

But here we are. And so part of me is, you know, almost excited that it seems like it is at a point of really we have to as a country wake up and do better. But I really screwed up my Instagram.

So that's what happened right before I left. And so typically I don't have any politics on my social feed and it went, I mean, it went so fast in the other direction. And it was one of those like terrifying things where in just a couple of clicks, I'm getting just this constant bombardment of bad news and of us versus them. 

And look how stupid he is. No, no, no. Look how stupid he is. 

And it just went on and on. And for the most part on Facebook, I've got, everybody's got that uncle, right? You've got that uncle who posts stuff that clearly has not been fact-checked. And, you know, one might be about God and country. 

And the next one is about electrocuting people at the border. Like it makes Jesus squirm. I'm just telling you.

Anyway, I've got that. I've got that uncle. And then I've got a couple other people who just post some, some really super cringey stuff. 

But beyond that, like just my exposure to that is not very heavy. And so it was interesting that right before I go on this trip, my exposure was overloaded. I mean, if you click on something, buyer beware. 

I mean, it's the same as if you start talking about something in your house and then you start getting 152 ads for that product. Y'all, it's creepy. Anyway, so I, so I blew up my social media with political stuff. 

And then I went, I went on my tour of America. And I'm telling you, I have never been so in love with this country. I have never been so proud to be here, to, to want more time, to more, more and more time. 

Like, oh my gosh, how did I not know this was here? How did I not know this was here? Now I want to explore every nook and cranny in this whole country. And it made me realize how sad it is that our opinions of our country, our opinions of people living a state over or two states over is dictated by stupid social media or a 24 hours news cycle, which is geared to scare you, which is geared to make you hate the other side, which is geared to make you hate the, the people on the other side who were supporting somebody other than you. Like there's no respect in, in how this information is presented to us. 

So the beautiful thing about it is after I made my social media faux pas, I went into national parks where I had no cell service. And so that ship sailed, which was perfect because what I got to do instead is connect with people to their face, not, not posting some, you know, garbage post on social media or, you know, like, can I tell you how different it is to go into a, a little outhouse and use a pit toilet? Like there's no, there's no gender assignments. Like we're pooping straight down into a hole and nobody in this red state or blue state is in here asking what your gender is. 

Like we are all just out here doing our thing straight down into a hole. And nobody, nobody's having arguments about this. Nobody's asking what your gender is. 

I mean, it just, it made so much of the stuff that we argue about. It made it feel, have you ever watched a reality show and you can tell that they paused and they like reshot the scene to get it more dramatic? That's how the presentation of America felt to me. Like, like news is just really putting it on for you so that you sit behind your computer at home and think that it, it is a complete dumpster fire out there. 

Well, guys, if you turn off your cell phone and you turn off your TV and you actually go and experience this country, holy cow, you will, you will be the proudest American in the whole wide world. Like in the whole wide world. And I was, I was just so in love.

Every place we went felt like I was in a different country. There were, I mean, from the driest desert to, to a lush forested land. I mean, we had temperatures on our trip that ranged from 38 degrees to 108 degrees. 

I'm talking about a varied landscape, a varied climate, a varied people. And you know how many people I argued with? Oh, let me think. None, none. 

There were no people we were arguing with. None. You just, you just acted respectfully to each other. 

You appreciated that they were here enjoying this land too. Um, so I'll tell you, I, I really came back just overwhelmed with pride for our country with, with how beautiful it is. And I guess, um, one of the things I loved is how much land there is protected, how much land there is for people to love and enjoy, but not for, um, huge track home subdivisions to go into. 

Like it is protected for us to, to go and be in awe of her beauty. So as you're sitting here thinking like, Oh no, I can't believe he thinks this way. And I can't believe he thinks this way or whatever.

I just remind you that that's the whole goal. That's the whole goal of the news media is to, to create this discourse. Without it, you don't watch. 

Like if everything's hunky dory, are you turning in? No, they need to span the flames of, of this political, you know, climate, us versus them. Never once when we crossed a state was like, you are now leaving a blue state. You're now entering a red state. 

In fact, until you went to checkout and either you had to have your bag or buy a bag, you might not even know. But I'm, I'm just telling you what they are feeding us as like, we can't all get along and we have all of these differences. It actually doesn't, it doesn't live in the real world. 

If you don't subscribe to it, if it just doesn't, we had the most magnificent time in places that I did look it up because I don't know what the red and blue map is. But before I talked to you about it, I was pretty sure they were red states, but there was nothing that made it like, I don't know. And I knew Colorado was a blue state.

Anyway, I live in a red state. I'm telling you, it doesn't matter. Turn that crap off.

Nobody cares about that. You know who you're going to vote for? Probably, if not, okay, maybe do a little bit of research, but otherwise turn it off because this country is magnificent. It's magnificent. 

It's so freaking beautiful. And you know, what's really cool? How many foreigners were there enjoying it? How many foreigners had paid, are paying these locals at restaurants and hotels and bed and breakfasts to come and enjoy this beautiful country? And I mean, those are jobs. That's our economy. 

That is really beautiful that instead of, you know, what we're told is America's a laughingstock and perhaps, perhaps for some people it is, but there are a lot of people who are still paying to come and enjoy it. And so I want the energy from me to be what is right with this country. I am going to amplify that. 

Like we've talked about it with health. If, if you don't have anything nice to say, then don't say anything at all. Like don't focus on what you don't want. 

So I am not going to contribute to a conversation of political discord. I'm not going to contribute to a conversation of, you know, that a lot of the older people do on Facebook about like, Oh, what has happened? Nobody had these concerns when we were younger, blah, blah, blah. Um, I'm, I'm not entertaining that anymore. 

So if you want to talk to me about how freaking great this country is, I'm here for it. Now, I do want to tell you a funny story. We were doing a river trip three nights down the green river. 

You, we drove from Colorado to where we meet in Vernal, Utah, and then the company drove us back to Colorado to get on the river. And then we floated back through Utah. Anyway, it was three nights camping in different locations on the river, but it was freaking amazing. 

It was incredible. Um, and as we're floating down the river, several different times we saw bald eagles. I don't know that I've ever seen one out in the wild. 

I think I have at our like bird of prey sanctuary near here. Um, but I don't think I've ever seen a bald eagle flying. And we got to see several on this trip and it was magnificent. 

And as this eagle was flying overhead, like, I don't think I've ever, Ooh, I'm getting choked up talking about the eagle. Y'all, I don't think I've ever, um, experienced it, but it did have that patriotic feel like this majestic bird is flying over, over us. And it just, I don't know, I, I resonated it with it so much and it was, it was really cool. 

And then later we saw a bald eagle who had spotted an Osprey and the Osprey had a fish. The Osprey had gone fishing, had a catch and the eagle blew around it, chasing it in circles until the Osprey dropped the fish. And then the eagle went down and had its lunch. 

Now that also kind of reminded me of America where you actually, the eagle could have gone and gotten his own fish, but instead he bullied the Osprey and the Osprey dropped it. So there was, there was a whole different metaphor in that situation. Um, but I'm going to stick with the majestic bird right now because I, I really, I'm asking you to join me. 

I'm asking you to join me in changing how we speak and then the energy that we're putting out there about this country. Hey, if you're listening over the seas, you can do this about your own country and you can do this about America and we'll speak nice about you too. How about that? This is where we start changing the energetic makeup of a country by putting positivity into it. 

And so if you can do that by traveling, great. If you can do it by getting in your garden and just admiring the cool variety of plants that you get to have in your own backyard. If you can do it by, you know, spending time on the water at the ocean, whatever it is, find some really positive ways to connect with our land, with your land, with your home.

And let's, let's stop, especially going into this, not going into this election cycle. It started