So much change is happening in my life right now that sometimes it feels hard to breathe. I recently found out that I have to move (in roughly a month) from my home, a place I've lived for a decade. I also discovered that I'll most likely need to have major surgery next year, and squished in between are plans to travel and launch a new business.

Even looking at what I just wrote leaves me winded.

But I'm grateful for so many things: for parents who simply tell me "Don't worry about anything....we've got your back," to friends who are willing to come with me to apartment visits as a second pair of eyes, to a brother who texts to just check on how I'm doing, to a boss who's understanding and helps me think through things. My head is spinning and I'm unfocused, from one task to another without finishing the one before. And somehow I still feel grounded - in my friends, family, and community. Someone checks in every day. I am lucky. I am thankful.

In the midst of all this, keep returning to a dream I had a few months ago, before all of this hit. In the dream I was hiking through a forest with a group of friends. It was the type of forest you only see out West - mossy and verdant, with huge redwood trees that soared above us. Suddenly, as we were venturing deeper into the forest, there was a enormous cracking sound. One of the trees behind us had come uprooted. It launched itself into the sky over our heads (dreams are weird, amirite?) and came crashing down ahead of us, shaking the forest floor and kicking up a wall of dust and debris. Realizing that this wall was headed towards us, someone shouted "RUN!" and we all sped off in the opposite direction, bracing ourselves for the eventual impact. The wind hit our back full force, but none of us were worse for the wear. We laughed with gratitude. We exhaled. We dusted ourselves off. We felt in awe of what we had just witnessed. And then we moved on.

This dream, oddly, gave me a lot of comfort. It reminded me that sometimes life is full of upheaval, and that deep rooted things sometimes unearth themselves unexpectedly, but that in the end I'm safe, and I have others to lean on. So, despite the chaos and fear that I'm feeling right now, things are going to turn out okay. I'm walking this path with a lot of care and support and positive people in my corner. I still think back to that dream now and again when I feel overwhelmed. It gives me peace.

My friend Laura also brought up a wonderful point that's given me a lot of perspective. She said, "When I get overwhelmed or stressed out, I ask myself if this stress will be present in a week? In a month? Three months from now? Six months from now? A year from now?"

So, I'm working on breathing. On sitting. On balancing getting what I need to do done, while also taking time to have fun and relax. There's a lot going on, but I'll get through it.