We were playing Jenga a few days ago. As the game went on, the tower became top-heavy and there were more and more holes in the bottom half. The tower wobbled a few times, there were a few close calls, and eventually it toppled.

In a way, every single block that is displaced is responsible for destabilizing the tower, if only by making the top half heavier. However, we know that some blocks are more destabilizing than others: the ones closer to the foundation or the ones bearing more weight. To stabilize a wobbly tower, we don’t need to replace and reposition every single block. Instead, we need to identify the pieces that are most important to our structure. Then, we need to devote our attention and energy to restoring those crucial pieces.

What are some of the “pieces” piled high on everyone’s “tower” now? The pandemic, West Coast wildfires, upcoming elections, systemic injustice, civil unrest, paying the bills, remote schooling, remote work, returning back from remote work, being out of work, being unable to engage with friends, missing the social and cultural events that mark the times and seasons. And I haven’t even started with your personal, custom made struggles: your anxieties, your disappointments, your relationship difficulties, your loneliness. That is a lot.

You cannot address all of them. You cannot address half of them. But you can identify the pieces that are the most important in your tower’s structure. Take a moment to think about what those pieces are for you. Focus your attention on the pieces that can restore the most stability to your life. Direct your energy toward the pieces that can revive your hope. Think of the people in your life that you can you combine efforts with. And that will get you closer to figuring out how to reclaim hope and stability.