HEALTHY TRIBE/TEAM

I have found that having supportive people in my life who live in line with my values has been instrumental. It helps me navigate the kind of life that I want to live. On the flip side I also learned that having people in my life who are not in line with my values while challenging at times, has given me clarity in the life I want to lead.

While Dr. Wilson has shifted her language from Healthy Tribe to a Healthy Team, I find myself navigating the world a bit differently. I look at my close personal friends and family members who are part of the life I now lead as part of my healthy tribe. I look at the doctors, therapist, support people in my life as being part of my healthy team.

Outside of the therapist community, which I have utilized as support, I have engaged in a number of other communities over time. I am a very spiritual person and have made headway in healing my spiritual wounds through my journey with the Atlantic School of Theology where I completed my masters in theology. I also joined the Mulgrave Baptist Church for a time. Church is challenging. I have met some beautiful people and have continued relationships with some people after I left the church.

I joined a CrossFit Community when I moved to my current home. This was before Covid 19 and I built a great support system within that community. I loved CrossFit Hubtown and all the folks who worked out in that forum. Unfortunately, the organzation closed its doors during Covid 19, never to be reopened. I continue to keep in touch with some members through Facebook and follow some of the women who inspire me on their weightlifting journey. I continue to utilize the skills I learned through this forum. I am forever grateful to Amanda Thompson for her patience, gentle ways, and consistency in helping us move from one level of fitness to another.

In November 2020, I joined WW, formerly known as Weight Watchers which is moving in the direction of integrating and using WW and Weight Watchers interchangeably. I joined, as their focus is on inspiring people to adopt healthy habits for life. Their framework of the four pillars--sleep, activity, mindset, and food are in line with my values. I want to live a healthy life where I am free to live in my home until I am ready to move onto the final stage of my life--death. I am engaged in that community, and it is life giving. I love the opportunity to build community and one never knows when someone I meet will move from being on my team to being in my tribe!

I am fortunate that I have built solid relations in all the camps, and they support me with love and respect cheering me on to live freely through the lens of love.

It is not always easy building a healthy tribe. It takes love, compassion, boundaries, and courage. It takes honesty and standing in my own power to ask for what I need and knowing when I need to say no.

I am grateful for my closest friends and family who support me and hold me accountable when I need it. They also celebrate me on my journey of living my values. I am also grateful for fellow travellers on this journey we call life. Finally, I am grateful for my team. They have held me and challenged me. They have walked beside me holding me in my grief and celebrating me in my wins. They continue to do all these things. Some in person and some in spirit......

Tribe in action: almost a week ago today I received news I needed a new engine for my car. It is not covered under warranty and the news was a shocker. I was at a fellow tribe members home when the news came in. I am so grateful for her presence and her husband's presence. They sat with me, helped me problem solve, allowed space for me to contact my brother, fed me, then took me to my nephew's home. They did this with love, and in realm of power with rather than power over where they took over the decision making. It was beautiful and I am deeply grateful. I am also grateful for my nephew and his partner. They drove me home along with a beautiful little dog named Rosie, whom I am taking care of until January 2023. I have access to a car due to the generous offerings of Rosie's mom and I had so much love and support to help me remain in safety. It really works, all the effort of building healthy tribe means I feel held, loved and safe in such a deep way. The car will cost me about $10,000. The support is priceless.

What does your tribe and your team look like? Can you take a moment to be in gratitude?