A Brief Guide for Navigating Toomuchery

for you. from me.

It me, Brad.

I am trying.

They say that’s what you’re supposed to do.

Yoda said, “Do or do not, there is no try.” I get the spirit of this, sure. His context was a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away, though. Yoda didn’t have a small business to keep afloat, social media, email or a family (that we know of?).

Said easier than done, it is, YODA.

I was in line for coffee one morning when a dear friend texted me this photo:

“Good morning, Sunshine!” and “😂” accompanied the image. I turned around in the drive-through to see him behind me. I waved. He waved. We both laughed.

We are now no longer on speaking terms.

Okay, I’m kidding. He’s great. We’re great. The photo is hilarious. Despite the very murder-y grimace on my face, I was having a great morning! I think the waiting in line had lulled me into deep thought. My mind was wandering from the day’s lengthy to-do list to uncertainties to possibilities to … everything except the friend right behind me.

The journey from point A to point B is rarely an easy one. There are setbacks. There are distractions. There’s the inner existential turmoil nagging at you questioning whether or not you’re worthy or capable of the work ahead of you or if it even matters.

Yet, we journey.

John Hendrix is one of my favorite artists and humans. Deeply intelligent and truly encouraging, I’ve loved any moment I’ve ever had to chat with him. This print of his cheers me on in my studio:

John Hendrix perfectly captures the creative journey.

In my work, the last few weeks have been a marathon. Multiple projects have been moving along simultaneously. Some of them are near the finish line. Some are in that happy, early blue sky phase. And, yes, some keep pulling themselves (and me) into that deep pit of despair. It’s a lot.

There’s also real life. Between our kids’ play practices, projects, and special dress-up days, it feels like every single school event in the world happens in the Fall. Plus, our family has been navigating the loss of special friends in our community. We’ve been trying to tenderly help our kids go through and grow through the grief. It’s a lot.

Then, there’s the world. We’ve been met with even more bleak reminders lately of the immense suffering and grief fellow human beings are forced to endure. That such violence can occur or that people can be capable of deep darkness, is unimaginable to most and, yet, a heartbreaking reality. It’s too much.

“How do we use what little energy we have to create light for ourselves and others when there’s so much that’s wrong in the world?”

This is the question Asha Dornfest asked in her recent post. Her much-needed words found me at a vulnerable moment. In the messy middle of juggling all the plates in front of me, I haven’t been able to find words or actions that could even begin to soothe, solve, or serve. Maybe you feel this way, too?

Too much heavy. Too much hurt. Too much to be done. Too much.

Her encouragement? Do the good that’s in front of you.

Just a few weeks ago, I was sitting at my desk. Feeling all these feelings and dashing to meet yet another deadline, I heard a knock at the door. There in front of my office stood a few sweet friends. They came bearing hot coffee and encouragement. I was handed a note signed by their entire family:

“You are doing important things! We are cheering for you.”

It broke me out of the blur.

When toomuchery abounds, we need each other. We need reminders that we’re not alone. We need reminders that there’s good to be done right around us. We need a kind of delightful disruption that invites us to do what so often seems impossible: keep trying.

I see you. Keep trying. You matter.

P.S. You’ve all been so kind. Thank you for the many encouraging check-ins while I paused posting for a bit. Thank you. My apologies for slowing down. I simply had to raise the white flag for a bit to focus on the urgent work in front of me. Absurd times call for absurd amounts of love, right?

There are many great things ahead. Excited to share with you. It means so much to me that you’re here.

• Store! JOY REBEL shirts are now back in stock! You can also find art prints, mugs, and other goodies. Everything ships directly to you from our workshop in Tennessee.

• Speaking! Lately, I’ve been doing lots of storytelling workshops for businesses, pep talks for teams, encouragement at all-hands meetings, and special project creative consulting. I love it. Let’s team up.