She didn’t have the words. With community, she found her breath.

Hi friend,

I had the distinct honor to sit in a private conversation with Dr. Vivek Murthy, the former U.S. Surgeon General and some of Connecticut's most committed community builders yesterday. 

14 of us sat together around a virtual table, speaking honestly about what's breaking down in our communities and what's worth rebuilding. Dr. Murthy said something that hasn't left me:

“If change is going to come, it's not going to come only from a politician or a law. It has to come from growing, sustained grassroot efforts to build community.”

Since leaving his post, he spoke about what he keeps hearing from people across the country right now: a quiet hunger for depth and joy, not more productivity, not more achievement, but more realness. 

When he asked high school students what was hardest right now, one said: "It feels like we're constantly worrying about tomorrow instead of being present for today. I don't know what we're living for anymore."

That landed hard. Because no one steps off that treadmill alone. We need each other to do it. We need spaces where we're reminded that our worth isn't conditional on what we produce or how much we accomplish. 

Dr. Murthy was clear about this: when people feel and know their worth is unconditional, it unleashes joy, creativity, and connection. The value of every person in the room is intrinsic. Full stop.

He shared: "Community is built when people recognize they need each other and act on it. It's not about supporting more and more people. It's about the degree and depth of the people you choose to impact every single day."

Sitting with his words, I naturally reflected on what that depth of impact looks like at Community Mindfulness Project.

A woman we work with, for her privacy, we'll call her Faith, represents this.

Faith didn't come to us looking for mindfulness. She encountered our program while living in a residential supportive facility we come to weekly. It is one of the few places in her life offering some stability and we're proud to be a part of the impact of this center for her. 

From a young age, she had endured more than most: sexual assault, incarceration, and the kind of fear that doesn't fade when the moment passes. 

For a long time, she was afraid to close her eyes at night. Afraid of the dark. Afraid of people. Trust had never felt safe.

When she first joined us, she was guarded. Defensive. She didn't close her eyes when invited to meditate.

Our facilitator met her the way we welcome everyone: gently, without pressure, without asking her to set aside what she'd been through. Just a steady set of reminders and invitations: 

"You don't have to fix anything right now... Be here just as you are, and we'll be here with you."

She kept coming, week after week. 

Over time, something began to shift. Faith started connecting with others in small ways, then more. She began expressing herself, carefully at first, then with growing confidence. The walls she built to survive didn't disappear overnight. But they began to soften.

Months in, her world is expanding. She's practicing self-compassion. She's discovering her own strength. She's finding moments of calm where there used to be only fear. She's building a network of support and trusting to ask for help when she needs it.

Recently, she was invited to Hartford to speak with state lawmakers about her journey. She showed up with pride. She's back in school. And for the first time in a long time, she's beginning to feel something that resembles true hope. Faith.

She told our facilitator something that stays with me:

"I'm not afraid to close my eyes anymore. I'm able to relax my nervous system and rest."

This isn't small. It's a real change. The ability to pause instead of panic. To feel fear without being consumed by it. To begin trusting others, and to know she is not alone.

Faith is living proof of what becomes possible when someone is met with that kind of unconditional presence. 

The connection that Dr. Murthy prescribed as medicine. The community that he says is vital to public health.

Week after week, for free, in a space where the only thing being asked of her is to breathe.

Your support keeps this room open. This Mental Health Awareness Month we're looking for 40 new monthly givers to help us keep these programs going, and add more.

Help neighbors like Faith access our programs every month →

With so much gratitude,

Ella Crivello

Executive Director,

Community Mindfulness Project