A DECADE+ OF STORYTELLING POWERED BY THE BEST WRITERS ON THE PLANET

BE PART OF THE LEGACY

TAMPA BAY • FEBRUARY 23-24 2026

This FINAL encore experience will be unlike any other. Because like everything we do, it's been "reimagined" from beginning to end. It's not a virtual or hybrid event. It's not a conference. It's not a seminar, a workshop, a meeting, or a symposium. And it's not your typical run-of-the-mill everyday event crammed with stages, keynote speeches, team-building exercises, PowerPoint presentations, and all the other conventional humdrum. Because it's up close & personal by design. Where conversation trumps presentation. And where authentic connection runs deep.

Don’t Give Up

–When Happy People Get Depressed, Part One

I woke this morning to a wet pillow, an ache in my chest, and tears falling silently from eyes not yet opened to the new day. My first thought is: Ahhhh. What a relief!

For a while, I just lay there, allowing the emotions to flow, embracing the ache and giving thanks for finally feeling something other than the frozen apathy that has been my companion for the past few weeks.

It may appear on the surface that I’m a queen of positivity, but there are times I am reaching for the light even as I shine it out to you. This was one of those months.

It’s easy to explain away the feelings of despair and depression by looking at the negative parts of the world, knowing other people are feeling some of the same. It’s much harder to look deeper, at the places where life has fallen short of expectations, where disappointment has turned excitement to indifference, and where feelings of hopelessness have crept in to dampen joy.

I decide to go to the depths with this heaviness, to give my depression a bit of space as I look beneath the layers to see what might be lurking there.

Oooooh. This may be too much for a queen of positivity to admit.

On the surface, I simply put most of my commitments on hold. I tell myself I deserve a mini-sabbatical after a couple of intense months finishing a book and preparing to share it with the world. Beneath the surface is a simmering discontent with just about everything in my life. I go through the motions, but life feels cast in a dull haze that mutes my normally colorful world.

Day by day, I sort through the layers of my life to see if I can find some spark of meaning.
Nothing seems to matter.

Except for skiing. The joy glows bright as I give myself over to the feel of skis on snow as fresh air turns my cheeks pink with cold. My body begins to remember what it feels like to be happy. But the next morning, apathy is back with a vengeance. I wake early, thinking of all the ways I might let go of life as I know it. I wonder what it would be like to simply stop breathing.

I lay thinking about that possibility for a while, but my lungs don’t seem to want to cooperate. So, before the sun has risen, I rise out of bed. It’s time to go even deeper.

I wrap myself in two blankets, throw myself onto the couch, and begin to pray.
Nothing.

I gulp in some deep breaths of oxygen, humming in an attempt to quiet my mind.
The humming feels good, so I don ear buds, turn on my favorite Pandora station, and listen.
A soft melody moves through me, playing around the stuck energy in my body, gently moving my spine and calming my mind.

Then I hear it, a simple string of lyrics, repeating over & over.
“Don’t give up, your life isn’t over, you have more to say.”

I don’t miss the synchronicity of the message.
I get up and start writing.

_______________________________

For generally happy people, depression is difficult to understand. It can be all consuming. When you’re in its heavy grasp, the things you know to do rarely work.

I am one of those generally happy people. I’ve also experienced cycles of mild to moderate depression, which “normally” feels like a subtle filter that casts a dull haze over things as I continue to love, smile, care for the people in my life. I just don’t care as much as I normally do. And everything takes more effort.

This depression felt different. More intense. More complex.

I suspected my thyroid and adrenals needed a boost, but I also knew there was something beneath the physical fatigue. Which is why I wanted to give the depression so much S P A C E. I wanted it to speak to me.

I’ll share more of that conversation in part two of this story, but for now, I’m shining this out for anyone who happens to be feeling a bit discouraged with life, or the world.

Don’t give up. Your life is not over. You have more to say.

And so do I.

~Shining (again) Sor’a

P.S. I could easily avoid sharing about my dance with depression, but I know how hard it is to keep a positive attitude these days, how easy it can be to give up. I’m sharing this in case there’s someone out there who might need to hear these words too.

P.P.S. Please reach out if you are feeling heavy and need another heart to lift yours. I am always here. And, if you or someone you know are experiencing a lasting despair or hopelessness that is not responding to support, please seek professional help.

Sora Garrett
Sora Garretthttps://soragarrett.com/
Sora Garrett is a highly-creative humanitarian & life-simplification guide who blends her love for writing with her gift of inspiring people to think outside the box. Her fourth book, Simply Enough: Create Space for What Matters is a call to simplify our spaces so we can focus on creating a better world. This book is also a cornerstone of her mentoring circles, where she holds space for deep conversation about what matters while offering creative solutions and meaningful connection to others ready to cultivate more spacious lives of meaning and contribution. When she’s not writing or creating, you can find Sora taking long walks with her mini-schnauzer, working in her garden, sharing time with her life-partner of 44 years, their two grown children and one amazing grandson, or skiing/hiking in the mountains of Idaho where everyday miracles can be found.

DO YOU HAVE THE "WRITE" STUFF? If you’re ready to share your wisdom of experience, we’re ready to share it with our massive global audience – by giving you the opportunity to become a published Contributor on our award-winning Site with (your own byline). And who knows? – it may be your first step in discovering your “hidden Hemmingway”. LEARN MORE HERE


2 CONVERSATIONS

    • Thank you Lynn. I am at peace and both body & Soul are shining bright. This was a beautiful clearing out so that even more LOVE can flow through, and I’m so thankful for it all. Blessings to you, too! We will meet someday and I receive your prayers. <3

RECIPIENT OF THE 2024 "MOST COMPREHENSIVE LIFE & CULTURE MULTIMEDIA DIGEST" AWARD

WE ARE NOW FEATURED ON

EXPLORE 360° NATION

ENJOY OUR FREE EVENTS

OUR COMMUNITIES