🤷🏻‍♀️ Is it too much to ask for?

A simple fantasy.

Just to lie down, close your eyes, listen to a piece of music from beginning to end with no interruptions, and just〰️ breathe〰️there〰️

Such a small act of pleasure and a life-giving moment of peace that seems so insignificant and yet impossible to achieve at home.

Because around you there’s laundry to fold, meals to prep, people to answer, closets to declutter, dog to walk, books to read, fridge to clean, work to do…and they’re all nagging at you.

〰️Ugh. A sigh of defeat doesn’t feel the same as a sigh of relief

You feel conflicted and confronted, restless and irritated.

A part of you wants to remain present while another wants to escape. 

A part of you argues that meeting this need isn’t critical while another is dying inside and screaming for your attention. 

A part of you says to push through while another asks for how much longer?

So you accept that you have to leave the house to get what you need…but where?

Concerts start when you’re winding down for the day and go way past your bedtime. 

The idea of figuring out what to wear is daunting. The thought of sitting still and staying quiet in tight waist bands and stiff shoes makes you want to jump out of your own skin.

You’re not really hungry for food and don’t want to drink alcohol, but it seems like part of the package. 

And then it feels like you can’t relax because you can’t just be yourself in that environment.

〰️Argh. A sigh of frustration is not the same as a sigh of satisfaction

Trust me. I know this experience very well because it’s mine too.

That’s one of the reasons why Balm exists.

Once a month, you get away from home routines and family responsibilities. For you to be fully present in your own experience. Time to collect yourself.

Where your love of music and poetry, lying down, listening inward, fully experiencing the beauty of humanity, is not to much to ask for, frivolous, or insignificant a desire to fulfill.

A simple yet meaningful Sunday morning ritual you can wear soft clothes to. You release guilt and pent up angst by moving your body in gentle ways that feel good, light, and fun.

You leave your worries at the door. There’s no pressure and no one asking you for anything. All you got to do is show up and meet yourself exactly where you are. 

A place where your sigh finally becomes relief.
And your relief〰️becomes replenishment〰️

If you’ve been to Soul Care Sunday before, this is your gentle invitation back.

If you’ve been curious from the outside looking in, the door is open for you.

And if you’re simply here to support this work, thank you. That care matters to me more than you know.

You’re welcome in whenever the timing feels right.

〰️We meet again at Soul Care Sunday on January 18 with jazz guitarist Jay Yoo for a relieving and replenishing morning. Click on the poster for details and to sign up.

It is possible to enjoy yourself uninterrupted, unhurried, and unworried.

With gratitude,
😍 Karen

P.S. If you can’t make it in January, our next date is in the east end on February 8! Yes, we’re trying a new venue and introducing another new musician, cellist Daniel Hamin Go. Be one of the first to check it out.

P.P.S. We want to share Balm’s restorative music rituals with as many people as possible. If you’d like to bring it to your community, work place, or event, please reach out to me. I talk more about this aspect of the work on LinkedIn, happy to connect there too!

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