While at times it felt like 2021 would drag on for an eternity, now it feels like the year flew by. Here we are, 2 days into February 2022, and I can’t believe where the time has gone.

Last month I was standing in line with my husband, and there was an advertisement for the New York SNAP program. It showed pictures of blue collar workers and talked about how they can often qualify for SNAP, too.

In that moment it struck me how short life is. Something about seeing a 60 year old man in a hard hat made me feel the gravity of life.

Each life is a summation of choices. The choices compound into hourly activities, which add up to days, which add up to weeks, months, years, and before you know it, you’re staring into the abyss of middle age wondering where the time has gone.

For a brief moment I wondered how it must feel to look back on your life and feel regret for not having the job you wanted.

But then it occurred to me, by in large, what people remember most are the people around them. Not what they did day to day, but who they did it with. They remember being married to the right person. Or they remember the one who got away. They remember their friends. They remember their kids. They remember their coworkers, and the jokes or arguments they used to have while trying to get their work done. They remember the colourful characters who peppered the otherwise stark banality of a routine life.

In the months since I last updated Sūvata, I purchased a coffee house in my hometown. It was, in fact, the same one I used to manage nearly 20 years ago. The stars aligned and I just so happened to be able to buy the business.

This isn’t what I expected to be doing with my life. I thought I’d be spending my days talking about energy, vibrations, meditation, thought control, self empowerment and improvement, wellness and healing, and stepping into your highest self.

And while I fully intend to continue that here, especially now that I am past the first 6 months hurdle with the shop, I am not unhappy that it’s not my focus.

I’m still talking about all the topics that are near and dear to me; I’m just doing it more in a 1:1 way. I share my wisdom with my staff and with some of my customers.

The shop, as it turns out, is becoming my platform. It’s becoming the place for me to share my wisdom and connect with humans on a deeply personal level. It’s giving me the opportunity to help make changes in people’s lives and introduce them to healthy and delicious food that revitalises from the inside out and gives them the space to empower themselves spiritually.

When I look back at this time in my life, I won’t regret what I’m doing at all. The struggles. The headaches. The hardships. The drama. The exhaustion. I’ll remember bits of that, but what I’ll remember most of all is the people.

I challenge you to look at your life and think of the people instead of the things. Look at the moments, the conversations, the experiences, instead of the what and where.

Connect with humanity, and when you do, you’ll see far more joy than you do misery.