Setting Intentions: Vibrancy
04.03.24 | 29205
For Reflection:
What does your relationship with vibrancy currently look like? What comes to mind when you hear this word?
Look around your home or your wardrobe. Are you drawn to more muted tones or more vibrant ones?
What in your life feels vibrant? What have you been giving your energy?
What other emotions come along with feeling vibrant?
What in your life is lacking vibrance? Where have you been conserving energy?
What other emotions come with a lack of vibrancy in your life?
Do you think of yourself as a vibrant person? Do you see vibrancy in your daily life?
Hello, friend, and welcome to April! It seems incredible we are here already. Here in South Carolina, I am feeling the transition into a new part of the year – one which feels more alive and energized in the natural world, and which I hope will feel the same within myself.
For the month of April, I’ve chosen to think with the theme of vibrancy. This is a word that I haven’t felt embodies my personality or experience of life in quite a while. I definitely have moments of great energy and zest, but over the past several years (especially since the pandemic) I have leaned into a more mellow and reserved sense of self. I am even someone who chooses to wear mostly neutral colors much of the time, for no real reason other than they mix and match well.
As I write this, my viola case is sitting in the corner of the room with me. And I’m actually chuckling, because my viola case is perhaps the least reserved - and perhaps most vibrant - thing I own.
My viola case is bright purple. I picked it out in high school, when my tastes were less refined and more adventurous. I had friends with colored instrument cases, and I loved the idea of having something so unique. So, I picked purple – my favorite color at the time. Bright and joyous, but not too loud, purple somehow spoke to my soul (or something much less deep and much more aesthetic).
Looking at that viola case now, I can’t help but smile and remember the version of me that chose such an audacious color. The me that exists today would likely pick black – the typical musical instrument case color that blends in with the crowd and doesn’t make waves. But when I think about my own hopes of feeling more vibrant this month and in the future, I realize I would like to channel the energy of that high school student who wanted to communicate joy with nearly everything she did.
This month, I’m hoping to channel some of that purple viola case energy. I’m exploring how the current version of me relates to vibrancy, and I’m removing some of my self-imposed need to be serious all the time. Whether you already feel vibrant, alive, and energized or not, I hope you’ll join me for some intentional thinking about this topic. And together, I hope we can all find ways to feel more vibrant even in our normal, everyday lives.
In the coming weeks, I will share about the people, places, and practices which inspire vibrancy in my life. I hope we might explore what vibrancy looks like both as an individual experience and as a communal goal. As you consider what vibrancy looks like in your life, I hope you’ll remember that our individual energy and commitment to leading more vibrant lives contributes to a communal reality as well – one which can be found through deeper connection with one another, in which we hope to see other’s vibrancy in addition to our own.
The questions offered at the top of each Zip Code Project post can be used as daily journal prompts. This month, there will be 30 in total. If you’d like access to all 30 April questions ahead of time, send me a message at hello@thezipcodeproject.com or on Instagram @autumndelongrodgers. I would love to send them over so you never miss one.
Until next time, friends.