As I write this final post of 2018, I am thinking back to the ways this year has been stitched together. Recently, as a guest on a podcast, I was asked to consider how I work to inspire a sense of community. I answered that I believe it’s mostly just by showing up. My teacher, Kim Manfredi, described this idea of showing up for the daily rituals of life with a Buddhist expression: “Chop wood. Carry water.” When I’d get tangled in what the next step for the business or teaching might possibly be, she’d repeat this saying. The expression is a reminder that through it all–the bright moments and the dark wretched ones–we must keep showing up for the daily work of life.