Gratitude, Progress, and a Big Yellow Taxi 🚕

In 1969, a singer-songwriter pulled back the curtains of her Honolulu hotel room to a heartbreaking view: pristine mountains in the distance, overshadowed by a sprawling concrete parking lot below. This moment inspired “Big Yellow Taxi,” 🚕 a deceptively upbeat melody carrying a profound message about progress and loss:

​They paved paradise and put up a parking lot

With a pink hotel, a boutique, and a swingin’ hot spot.

Through playful vocals and a catchy hook, Joni Mitchell captured a universal truth:

Don’t it always seem to go

That you don’t know what you’ve got ’til it’s gone?

We often take our health, relationships, and decency for granted until they slip away. But there’s hope – there’s always hope. 

Progress creates positive and negative ripples. While the pink hotel and asphalt owners celebrate, others grieve. If we’re not careful, in time, progress, like store openings on Thanksgiving or advertisers using AI models, becomes normalized and it’s harder to regain what was lost. However, with thoughtful action, it’s possible to progress in a way that’s purposeful, good to people and the planet, and creates a profit. 

This week in the States, we celebrate Thanksgiving. Beyond the traditional gratitude for what we have and who we love, let’s Pause, Breathe, and Reflect on how our choices shape the future. 

How can we progress without paving over what matters most?

If you’re traveling, please do so safely. Put the phone down. Connect with nature. 

Please know that I’m deeply grateful for this community, especially those who responded to my ask for help in last week’s Ripple Effect.

A Different Kind of Black Friday Deal:​

Take my Smartphone Wellness Check by November 30th, and I’ll send you a $200 promo code for FREE Pause Breathe Reflect merch—approved by Mama Earth and like-hearted humans everywhere. 

Click the button below to begin your wellness check.

Happy Thanksgiving, 

Michael 

P.S. Remember to check out our latest Kintsugi Podcast featuring artist Miya Smith. Her insights on the art of Kintsugi offer a perfect metaphor for our times—where breaking and healing create something beautiful.