Awareness in a Heavy World

Hey Hey Kick Assers,

This month at All Hands In we’re unpacking the soft skill of Awareness.

Right now, as I’m writing this, the world feels heavy.

The Middle East is experiencing massive war, trauma, and deep suffering. Here in the United States, division and fear feel higher than anything I’ve experienced in my lifetime. Across the globe, authoritarian leadership is gaining momentum and democracy feels increasingly vulnerable.

In moments like this, it can feel almost simple — even silly — to talk about soft skills.

And yet, I know the transformative power these skills have on us as individuals, and the ripple they create in our relationships, our communities, and our collective consciousness.

Still, writing about why awareness matters can feel tone deaf when so many people around the world are worried they may not see tomorrow.

So instead of using this space to explain the semantics of awareness, I want to share what the practice of awareness looks like for me right now.

Because for me, awareness isn’t theoretical.

It’s lived.

It’s an undercurrent.

It’s often ordinary.

And it shows up in the smallest moments of my day.

What does awareness look like in this moment for me?

Awareness looks like being present while I…

Make tea

Breathe Check in on friends

Listen to how I feel

Listen to others

Notice whether I am centering love or fear — and choosing to move toward love

Pay attention to my body

Brush my teeth

Do laundry

Apply lotion

Hydrate

Eat vegetables

Shower

Get dressed

Notice the energy of others

Make eye contact and smile — especially with people who don’t look like me

Work to stay non-judgmental

Maintain boundaries when needed

Walk in nature

Move my body when emotions feel too big to contain

Make art

Sing

Dance

Listen to my internal dialogue

Name what I am feeling

Allow myself to feel rage and breathe through it

Feel my feelings

Cry

Read the headlines

Allow for sadness

Grieve

Hope

Tell the people around me that I love them.

Sweep the floor.

Pray.

Love.

Awareness doesn’t solve the world’s problems overnight.

But it does something important.

It keeps us present. It keeps us human. And it reminds us that even in moments of uncertainty, we still have choices about how we show up in the world.

For me, awareness is the practice that helps me move toward love — again and again.

And right now, that feels like a meaningful place to begin.

Kate Katz is a soft skill practitioner and founder of All Hands In, a soft skills development company. All Hands In specializes in soft skills development by using play and social emotional arts that include puppetry. If you'd like to learn more about the work we do, please visit: www.allhandsinworkshops.com  or email Kate at kate@allhandsinworkshops.com.