[be well]

a community conversation from Lorem Ipsum Listening Bar and Limoncito Goods.

Born from a conversation over coffee, this series is an exploration of what we, as a community and individuals, define wellness to be and a reminder of the tools our community offers.

As a long-time supporter of Justin and this space, being able to collaborate in this way that feels so aligned and impactful to me feels like a perfect way to start this year.

As a therapist, I am constantly immersed in a field which is trying to facilitate healing. I sit across from people daily who ask “how can I achieve healing?” This word has become a buzzword lately, leading people in all kinds of spaces (TikTok, YouTube, podcasts, and even a resurgence of spiritual guides) to try and help their communities find the best way to heal. But lately I’ve been wondering what happens when we decenter healing as the goal and replace that with the much quieter but just as powerful idea that our lifelong pursuit doesn’t need to be healing but maybe our calling is simply to be well?

Over the next four weeks, we will be in communion and community, exploring what it means to be well through the lens of the four natural elements and the four pillars of wellness to guide us.

So why the elements? That was initially Justin's idea, and it clicked for me with the four pillars of wellness. The four elements – earth, water, fire, and air – have been woven throughout our existence. We can see this concept referred back to in most areas of pop culture and most spiritual practices in some form. Everyone and everything from Zelda, Avatar, Harry Potter, and Pokemon draw from this concept. Plato broke it down, saying that the four elements were God's way of creating three-dimensional space. Carl Jung theorizes that, as humans, we are psychologically drawn to the elements and their inherent number of four because it is our best representation of wholeness.

From this starting point, we added another layer by inviting people from our communities to share their perspectives with us in a spirit of openness and curiosity. Each panelist we asked to share space with us is someone we consider to be a pillar in our community and someone who embodies the idea that wellness, just like being a human, is a multifaceted experience.

They are here to share their tools. Those that work for them might not work for you, or they might be the exact tool you've been looking for. Who knows. Either way, we hope you take what you need and leave what you don’t.

I will share each week’s recap here post event and update add in our wellness tool for the week so you can download and follow along if you’d like even if you aren’t able to make it each Wednesday this month.

I hope you'll join us over the next four weeks as we delve deeper into the concept of wellness and explore ways to cultivate it.