From Brandi Braun AL-Issa
I’ve been reflecting on the word equanimity; defined by Merriam Webster Dictionary as evenness of mind especially under stress or right disposition. This is more than a word, of course. It’s a way of being; a way of navigating life, which is undoubtedly stressful. The stress of life impacts all dimensions of our personal and professional lives.
Personally, I’m navigating the physical, mental, and emotional stress of being pregnant while in the first year of my new role at Habitat. Pregnancy is much harder than I imagined, and I find myself daily working to find and keep a sense of equanimity as I strive to be a values-based leader and community partner while undergoing physical and emotional changes that are, quite frankly, indescribable. It’s an internal struggle of keeping a sense of my identity while simultaneously stepping into a new identity, a metaphosphoric of sorts. I’ve undergone several phases of transformation in my life, most of them are primarily internal, private journeys. The metamorphosis with pregnancy (matrescence as it is beautifully termed) is a journey that is on public display that lends itself to comments, stories, and (sometimes intrusive) questions. The journey of matrescence is allowing me the chance to affirm my core values, establish clearer boundaries, and learn about my own disposition and commitment to equanimity.
Professionally, work often presents stressful conditions as everyone knows. At Habitat right now, the uncertainty of Federal funding and related policies has the potential to create a very stressful sense of uncertainty for our team. Large amounts of funding on which we heavily rely are at risk of being taken away rather quickly. The repercussions could be massive on the impact we have in the community through home repair and home construction. I’m working to keep a sense of equanimity at work; encouraging our team to focus on what we can control, influence, and plan for while letting go of the rest. As an organization, we’ll do our best to advocate, plan, respond, and communicate clearly. With Ramadan underway, and knowing we serve many Muslim families, I’ll close with a quote from the Quran, “With hardship comes ease,” which requires a strong sense of and commitment to equanimity.
We remain committed to navigating stress while being of service to Central Ohio; in connecting people to hope and opportunity through affordable housing; today and in the future.
Brandi Braun AL-Issa
President & CEO
