Giving back and paying it forward.
While they are phrases that are heard an awful lot recently, there are so many different motivations for the actual actions associated with them. Giving back can give you a warm fuzzy feeling inside. The feeling of doing good and giving to those "less fortunate" than you. To show and share appreciation for your knowledge and your life, the experience you've gained living your specific life. Barbara shares her health experience by helping others put together their healing puzzle pieces based off her own personal life. 
We each have a unique experience to share because we're all connected. I talked about connecting with teen parents and members of the low income community. I share my experience regarding being organized and staying on "top of the water" that some feel might drown them. I enjoy sharing resources and encouragement, showing people that it is possible to be successful, no matter your circumstances.
Lisa found that mentoring was not only beneficial to her mentee, but also to herself, to see how far she's come in her life.
Volunteering allows you to support the community where you live, a region or even giving globally to cause with which you connect. It allows you to contribute to something larger than yourself, not only giving to them, but also learning to appreciate what you have and how far you've come, as Lisa found while mentoring. Also, aside from your time, Vera points out that volunteering can be free.
Talking about things most shy away from and spreading a message of acceptance and understanding was the theme of our guest blogger this month, Jessica McWhirt, the director of and a participant in the Vagina Monologues in Denver, CO. Empowering women, both actors as well as those who come to the theater to experience, to be comfortable with the taboo subjects we as a society tend to hide.
During this month of talking about giving back and paying it forward, several tragedies have struck. Sadly, in today's world, these killings and disasters are not anomalies, but everyday occurrences. Closest to home for most of us, the mass shooting at the Pulse nightclub in Florida brought together the community in Orlando, the LGBT community, the whole country as well as the world. Words like tragedy, disaster, catastrophe and calamity don't even seem to touch the feelings of loss, sadness, frustration, horror and grief. As Danielle so eloquently put it, we all ask "Why?" Without an understandable concrete answer in any of these cases, we can only surmise and work to take steps to avoid this possibility in the future. We pull together as a global community and hold one another in our stunned grief and we do our best to move on with our daily lives. 
Father's Day was the main holiday this month, allowing us a chance bring back the positivity and to celebrate the roles of fathers in our lives. Parenting is the ultimate giving back and paying it forward, actually allowing each of us to mold the future of our world by having a direct impact on a tiny human who will hopefully outlive us and make this world a better place.
How was your June? Who did you connect with and how did you/do you give back or pay it forward?
July on Mind Key is going to be centered around healing with nature. How Mother Earth has put so many resources here with us that so many of us tend to overlook. Stay with us and learn as we do!
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