What You’re Moving Too Fast to Notice
One story. One question. One challenge. Three ways to reflect on the life you’re living. A monthly ritual called The 3-31.
1 Story
My 5-year-old son said the other day, “Mom, you can just sit with me. You don’t have to do anything.”
I paused.
And thought: When did we get here? When did he get old enough to say that? And when did I get so used to moving that sitting felt optional?
Then I remembered 2/22.
About a month ago, on February 22, the Moon appeared near the Pleiades, which is called The Seven Sisters. It’s a normal alignment, as the moon continues its path, passing a cluster of stars people have used for centuries to mark time.
On 2/22, I could have looked up at the beautiful night sky in Santa Fe and seen it, but I didn’t. Not because it wasn’t there.
But because I wasn’t.
Source: Astronomy Picture of the Day by Alan Dyer via Amazing Sky. Earth’s Moon shared the eastern sky with the Pleiades, the Seven Sisters, as seen from Alberta, Canada, shown as the naked eye would see it.
I looked up The Pleiades after and learned the name comes from Greek mythology, where they were imagined as seven sisters placed in the sky by Zeus. Across cultures, people noticed that about six or seven stars stand out to the naked eye, so the story and the name stuck.
Humans used this to track seasons, to move, to decide. To stay connected to Time.
Time has always felt like something I’m chasing. Or measuring. Or trying to get ahead of.
Can you relate?
Honestly, it might be my least favorite marker on the planet.
But this year really feels different.
Maybe it’s everything happening around us. Maybe it’s the way this year is being talked about, as a turning point, a marker.
2026 is a big year!
The 250th anniversary of the U.S. Declaration of Independence. Three Friday the 13ths. The Year of the Fire Horse. A cycle tied to intensity, movement, and change that only comes around every 60 years. Hell, it’s the first time we’ve seen the Year of the Fire Horse this century.
Or maybe it’s simpler than that.
Maybe I’m just paying attention in a different way.
Because the truth is, I’m moving slower now. More deliberate.
There was a time when everything felt faster. Fuller. And I was always onto the next thing.
Now I’m noticing what I would have missed.
On 2/22, that pattern made me pause because it interrupted me long enough to ask: Am I actually here right now?
In numerology, 222 is often associated with alignment.
Patterns don’t have to be magical to be meaningful.
They just have to make you stop long enough to notice and pay attention.
We say time is speeding up. There are many names for that feeling (time compression, subjective acceleration of time, Terence McKenna’s novelty theory, etc.).
But what we might actually be losing are our markers, the moments that help us locate ourselves in time.
The small moments that let us say:
I AM HERE.
And maybe that’s the part I’ve been missing.
1 Question
What are we continuing as a culture that no longer serves us?
1 Challenge
For the next month, track one pattern.
A number. A phrase. A moment that repeats.
When you notice it, pause.
Ask: What is this asking me to pay attention to?
Write one sentence. Then share it with someone you love and tell them what it means to you.
Three ⚡️ in 31 Seconds
⚡️ Alignment begins the moment you notice where you are.
⚡️ The Singers won the Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film in 2026, tying with Two People Exchanging Saliva, after earning 35 awards across 50 film festivals in 2025. When something resonates, it doesn’t happen once. It repeats. Check out the beautiful 18-minute film The Singers on Netflix.
⚡️ I spoke about Me Power and amity at Santa Fe Community College’s Black History Month celebration. Listen to the recap here and consider what it looks like to practice connection where you are.