The earth will thank us

Labor Day always makes me stop and think, not about celebrating labor, but about the path I was forced to take over a decade ago. That’s when the noise of constant work started to fade, in a way that feels very similar to the disruptions so many have experienced more recently.

I learned the hard way to step away from the expectation to climb the ladder, realizing that my family was shattered by divorce and death. The pursuit of awards didn't pull me; the loss of the people I loved gave me the perspective to slow way down, look at the bare essentials, and find gratitude in the smallest connections.

That early disruption taught me to see through the noise, and I believe that now, more than ever, we need to remain slow and present. Our homes and our lives should be about housing life, not accumulating things. If there’s any time to come together and focus on what's truly needed—our connections with one another—it’s now. And when we do, I believe the earth will thank us for it.