Shawnicorn Mindshift Coaching- Trauma Recovery Coach

🦄 Executive Dysfunction Strikes Back – Part 43B, Day 42 | Community Is Medicine

Tonight reminded me that healing doesn't always happen in therapy.

Sometimes it happens in an art museum.

Sometimes it happens on a dance floor.

Tonight I went to Art After Dark at the Cincinnati Art Museum with some of my riding ladies, and I honestly had the best time.

The adventure started almost immediately. 😅

I walked in carrying my 360 camera on the selfie stick I use when I ride, only to find out... apparently selfie sticks aren't allowed in the museum.

Fortunately, they had free lockers, so my poor selfie stick got its own little locker for the evening. 😂

That meant I had to carry my camera by hand all night, so if you notice my fingers randomly making appearances in the video... now you know why!

Once we got inside, my curiosity immediately took over.

I also learned that my first instinct in an art museum is apparently:

"Ooooh... I wonder what that feels like."

More than once, my hand started reaching toward something before my brain caught up and noticed the little "Do Not Touch" sign.

Cue me immediately jerking my hand back with an...

"Oh, s**t!" 😅

But every exhibit that invited people to touch?

Oh, I absolutely touched it.

I realized tonight that curiosity is a huge part of who I am.

I don't just want to look at the world.

I want to experience it.

We wandered through incredible artwork and artifacts, browsed the gift shop, visited Art Markit, and made Pride-themed art. I made a patch that says "Loud and Proud," and decorated a Pride bandana that feels unapologetically me.

Then we wandered into the room with the music.

There was a live band finishing their set, followed by a DJ.

That's when everything changed.

The whole energy shifted.

Everyone came alive.

We laughed.

We danced.

We waved our freshly stamped Pride bandanas through the air while the ink dried.

An older gentleman wandered into our little dance circle, waving his own flag and dancing right along with us. It wasn't planned.

It was just one of those beautiful little human moments where everyone was simply... happy.

Watching Jess be the first one out there reminded me how contagious joy can be.

Before long, the rest of us were dancing too.

Then Whitney Houston came on.

And I didn't understand why that hit me so deeply until I got home.

When I was little, my best friend Lisa and I used to turn Whitney Houston up as loud as we could, jump on her bed, sing at the top of our lungs, and just be kids.

At Lisa's house, I felt safe.

I felt loved.

I felt free to be me.

Tonight, while I was singing, dancing, laughing, and acting absolutely ridiculous with my friends...

My Inner Little Dude was right there with me.

That's why I left so much of the music in this video.

Some of the footage isn't perfect. My 360 camera had a mind of its own, so sometimes you're looking at the room more than you're looking at us.

I thought about cutting those parts out.

Instead, I left them in.

Because this wasn't about getting the perfect footage.

It was about capturing the feeling.

The laughter.

The music.

The dancing.

The community.

The healing.

One thing this Executive Dysfunction series keeps teaching me is that getting out of dysfunction isn't just about cleaning your house.

It's about rebuilding your life.

It's about finding people who make your nervous system exhale.

People who remind you what it feels like to laugh until your face hurts.

People who encourage your curiosity instead of judging it.

People who make it safe to dance like nobody's watching.

Healing isn't only about processing pain.

Sometimes it's about giving yourself permission to experience joy again.

And one more thing I realized tonight...

Maybe next time I'll record just a little less and experience just a little more.

Because some moments deserve to be lived more than they're documented.

💜 What song instantly takes you back to a happy memory? I'd love to hear the story behind it.

— Shawnicorn MindShift Coaching 🦄

🦄 Executive Dysfunction Strikes Back – Part 43A, Day 42 | Preparation Is Progress

Today's lesson was simple:

Preparation is progress.

Not every day has a dramatic before-and-after transformation.

Some days are about setting Future You up for success.

Today started with laundry. Well... it was supposed to start with laundry. 😅

Instead, camper life reminded me who's really in charge.

My gray tank backed up, so before I could even leave, I had to dump my tanks, clean my shower, and refill my black tank so I don't end up with the dreaded p**p pyramid later. Glamorous? Absolutely not. Necessary? Very much so.

Life doesn't always wait for our plans.

The difference is, I didn't let it derail my day.

Once that was handled, I headed to the laundromat, rewarded myself with a Popeyes chicken tender meal (because I don't particularly enjoy doing laundry), and got everything washed and dried.

When folding laundry, I realized the shirts I was hoping to bring for Sunday's moto photo shoot weren't actually in my laundry after all. No big deal. I'll keep looking tomorrow.

That's another thing this series has been teaching me.

Not every obstacle is a crisis.

Sometimes it's just another step.

Today's goal wasn't to accomplish everything.

It was to prepare.

Prepare for the photo shoot.

Prepare for an evening with my riding ladies.

Prepare for the weekend.

Prepare for Future Me.

I also noticed my energy dropping by late afternoon. A few months ago, I probably would have pushed through anyway, trying to squeeze one more task into the day.

Today, I made a different choice.

I listened to my body.

I decided it was more important to get this video finished, eat something that sat a little better than my lunch did, get ready for the evening, and let that be enough.

That's progress too.

Healing isn't always about doing more.

Sometimes it's about knowing when you've done enough.

💜 I'd love to hear from you. What's one thing you did today that your future self will thank you for? It doesn't have to be something huge. Sometimes washing the laundry, making an appointment, filling your water bottle, or simply taking a break when you need one is enough.

We're all just trying to build lives that are a little healthier, one choice at a time.

— Shawnicorn MindShift Coaching 🦄

🦄 Executive Dysfunction Strikes Back – Day 41, Part 42 | Making Healthy Choices Part 40