During the storms of life, which may include exams and personal trials, it is often hard to find the good. Also, with the seasons changing and moving into the holidays a lot of emotions are coming to the surface. When I woke up this morning to sunshine it refreshed my soul. It a new day with new opportunities to do some good in this world. Helping people when you are going through a tough time is therapeutic. “Be strong,” “be stoic,” and “grind it out” are mantras that need to be obliterated. Those are not keys to success; that road will lead to anxiety, stress and physical ailments.

Let’s nourish our bodies, spirits and mental health. Let’s not work too hard and ignore our humanity. Let’s feel all the feelings and take time to process them. Let’s find our tribe and not go it alone. Life should not be a journey of solitude…LOL…we are not Supermen or Superwomen…there is no fortress of solitude. Can we build a fortress of uplifting people and deeds that will enable us to move forward healthy, happy and whole? I don’t want a struggle finish; I do not want to limp to the end of this program. I want to finish with a flourish — a celebration — and have the mindfulness to enjoy my accomplishments.

As this year draws to a close, as we deal with emotions and exams let’s look at the sun and remember that if the sun is shining there is hope! Hope triumphs over cloudy and bleak days. Hope wins when we did not achieve the grade we wanted on an exam. Hope never fails!

Click on these links for more information about NUHS’ Doctor of Acupuncture, Doctor of Acupuncture Completion Program, Master of Acupuncture and Master of Acupuncture with a specialization in Herbal Medicine.