It is late October in Seattle: the leaves are putting on their final show, the rain is making its increasingly confident return, pumpkin-spiced everything is having its moment, and Halloween decorations are reminding us that a little imagination can transform even the most ordinary doorstep. And somewhere between the changing leaves, the deadlines, the headlines, and the search for that missing umbrella, life continues to ask us to show up. But I have been thinking about a different question lately: When we show up, what do we bring with us?
We all carry something. Excitement, exhaustion, hope, uncertainty, responsibilities, grief, gratitude, or perhaps several of these at once. Some of what we carry is visible; much of it is not. And in a world where conversations can quickly become polarized, where suffering can feel distant until it suddenly feels personal, and where the pace of everyday life rarely slows to accommodate either, it can be tempting to retreat, react, or simply keep moving. Yet wellness is not about becoming untouched by the world around us. It is about remaining connected to ourselves and one another while finding ways to shape the world we share.
We may not control everything we encounter, but we have more influence than we sometimes realize over what others experience in our presence.
A conversation can create a sense of belonging or deepen isolation. A moment of curiosity can interrupt an assumption. An invitation can make someone feel included. A thoughtful question can open a door that judgment might have closed. And perhaps that is where some of our most meaningful work begins.
Beyond Awareness: What Are We Willing to Change?
As October draws to a close, several observances invite us to consider what it means to move from recognition to responsibility.
During Filipino American History Month, we celebrate the histories, cultures, and extraordinary contributions of Filipino Americans, including generations of Filipino nurses whose work has profoundly shaped healthcare in the United States. Their stories also invite us to reflect on migration, labor, representation, and the often-unrecognized contributions that sustain our healthcare systems.
LGBTQ+ History Month reminds us that progress has never been inevitable. It has been built through courage, community, scholarship, advocacy, and the determination to make dignity and belonging more than aspirations. This week, Intersex Awareness Day (October 26) and Ace Week (October 25–31) offer opportunities to listen, learn, and recognize experiences and identities too often misunderstood or overlooked.
As National Disability Employment Awareness Month concludes, we are reminded that accessibility is not a favor extended to some; it is a shared responsibility to create environments where people can participate, contribute, and thrive.
And October’s observances of Breast Cancer Awareness, Domestic Violence Awareness, and Health Literacy ask us to look beyond awareness campaigns toward the realities of access, safety, prevention, compassionate care, and the structural conditions that influence health and well-being.
For those of us in nursing, these are not separate conversations. They are connected by a fundamental question: Who is being seen, heard, protected, and supported, and who might still be missing?
A Little Joy, A Little Mystery, and a Lot of Humanity
Of course, this week also brings Halloween! Whether your idea of fun involves an elaborate costume, a neighborhood pumpkin display, a scary movie, or simply enjoying others’ creativity from a safe distance, there is something refreshing about a season that gives us permission to be playful. And Seattle offers plenty of ways to embrace autumn: colorful neighborhood walks, pumpkin patches, cozy cafés, and the unmistakable energy of fall sports.
Our Huskies host Penn State at Husky Stadium on Halloween, while the Kraken welcome the Toronto Maple Leafs on Wednesday evening. And for those still thinking about the Seahawks, there is plenty to discuss after Sunday’s matchup with Kansas City. Whether we celebrate, commiserate, or debate the plays, sports can offer another opportunity to connect across our differences.
But alongside the costumes and celebrations, this weekend also carries quieter traditions of remembrance.
For communities observing Samhain, the changing season holds meaning around transition and ancestry. Día de los Muertos invites families and communities to honor loved ones who have died through remembrance, storytelling, and vibrant traditions of connection. All Saints’ Day on November 1 offers many Christians a time to honor saints and those who have gone before us.
These traditions differ in meaning and practice, yet each offers an opportunity to reflect on memory, connection, and the ways people continue to influence our lives.
And as November begins, we welcome Native American Heritage Month, an opportunity not only to honor Indigenous histories and cultural traditions but also to recognize living Indigenous communities, contemporary leadership, sovereignty, and the knowledge that continues to shape our region and beyond. Here in Seattle, on Coast Salish lands, that invitation feels especially close to home.
The Wellness Practice We Can All Share: This week, I invite us to try something simple but potentially transformative:
Before entering a classroom, meeting, clinical space, conversation, or even our own home, ask: What kind of experience do I want to help create here?
Not every interaction needs to be profound. Not every disagreement needs to be resolved. Not every difficult moment calls for the perfect words. Sometimes wellness looks like making space for another perspective. Sometimes it means establishing a healthy boundary. Sometimes it means noticing the person who has gone quiet, offering encouragement, sharing a laugh, or choosing not to pass along the stress we have been carrying. And sometimes, it means remembering that we, too, deserve the care we work so hard to extend to others.
As we move into the heart of the Autumn Quarter, may we find opportunities to create moments of connection, dignity, courage, and joy, not because everything around us is easy, but precisely because it is not.
Perhaps the question for this week is not simply, “How am I doing?” but also, “How are people doing because of the ways we show up for one another?”
Here is to a week of colorful leaves, warm connections, meaningful conversations, a little Halloween magic, and the everyday courage to make our shared spaces better than we found them.
And one last gentle reminder: the clocks fall back early Sunday morning, November 1. An extra hour is coming our way. Whether you use it for rest, reflection, or an extra cup of coffee, I hope you make at least a little of it yours.