“Sometimes the ground beneath us shifts so we can discover where our true roots are.” ~ Dava Harvey
has been evicted. The word stared at me from the letter in my hand.
It was the summer of 2022, at the end of the Covid pandemic, when life was supposed to return to normal – or so my husband and I hoped.
I read the letter again. My chest tightened.
We always paid rent on time. We will not break the terms of our lease.
Our landlord was selling the property. After almost ten years, we had to pack up and find a new place to live.
We had sixty days. It felt like a gut punch.
Uncertainty tore through me. How has the housing market changed in the last ten years? Can we find a place in sixty days? Can we live in the same area? How will moving affect our lives?
It seemed that someone else had suddenly cut the roots of our stability.
With the end of the pandemic, my husband and I recently started new jobs after nearly two years of unemployment. But rents are rising rapidly across Southern California. I am worried about our already shaky finances. How much will our rent increase?
My husband and I have enjoyed living in the Los Angeles and Orange County area. We love going to museums, dining at our favorite restaurants, or spending a day at Disneyland. Even during a pandemic, we’ll take our dogs for a walk through the local park or run along the beach.
How much change can we expect? A new place to shop. new neighbor New commute.
My anxiety grew, and I dreaded the daunting task of looking at apartment and house listings. If I could measure my stress level, it would be off the scale.
We soon realized that we could not afford to stay in the same area. And we will shrink to a much smaller place.
Still, this meant a nearly thirty percent increase in fares.
Also, having a sixty-five pound German Shepherd made it more difficult, as few spaces allowed larger dogs and many places simply restricted the breed. And without him there was no way we were going anywhere.
Constant anxiety makes me feel stressed and irritable.
In the back of my mind, an endless ticking clock counts down the days. Each second echoes louder and louder. With less than thirty days to go, we still haven’t found a new place to stay.
We both felt the pressure to uproot our lives.
The tension between my husband and I ebbed and flowed as we cleaned out closets and packed boxes. Although we agreed on recycling electronics like our old TV, we disagreed on what to do with old clothes and books. Donate or pack? Disagreements often lead to quarrels and quarrels.
As the days tick by, one lingering question remains: Where will we end up?
Even though I wasn’t alone, I still felt lethargic and disconnected.
To find ways to cope with all the sudden changes in my life, I tried listening to calming music, practicing meditation, and walking my dog more. But I could not calm my anxiety.
I needed something more abiding and turned to the ancient wisdom of the elements—earth, water, fire, air, and spirit.
My first basic touch point was the Earth. With so much uncertainty swirling around us, I needed something steady to hold on to.
Earth reminds us of our roots—those parts of our lives that stay strong even when everything else changes. I began to focus on what was still stable: the support my husband and I gave each other, the routines we kept, and the simple grounding comfort of stepping outside and feeling the world beneath my feet.
As I braced myself with what was still solid, another element began to flow through me – water. While earth helped me feel grounded, water taught me that emotions needed space to move.
It was okay to feel sad about what we were losing. I shared my feelings with my husband, and we talked about how we each felt about this sudden change. I acknowledged my feelings and gave myself time and compassion to feel them.
Feeling more balanced by earth and reassured by water, I turned to the next element – fire. In its steady glow, the fire reminds me of the power that still burns within me.
My energy has been drained by fear and uncertainty. Looking inward to the spark of my own fire, I discovered a quiet inner strength and courage that called me forward. I focused on small actions—searching the list, making calls, and packing one more box. Each step becomes a reminder that even in uncertain times, the sacred flame of resilience still burns.
More confidently, another element presented itself – air. As the fog of anxiety and worry begins to clear, the air gives way to clarity and inspiration.
Instead of getting caught up in the “what ifs,” I took the time to stop, breathe, and look at our situation with a calm mind. By letting go of the burden of resentment over every decision, I made way for clearer thinking. It allows me to focus on what really matters and trust that step by step, we will find our way forward.
Through the first four elements, I regained my sense of stability, self-compassion, inner strength, and mental clarity.
The fifth element, spirit, provides me with a calming sense of connection and alignment. Spirit reminded me that I was part of something bigger than the immediate struggle I faced. Even in the midst of uncertainty, I began to believe that this change, though unwelcome, was not without purpose. I couldn’t control every outcome, but I could lean on my strength, resilience, and quiet faith that we would land where we were meant to be.
Returning, I found much more than a new place to stay. I found a new way to steady myself when life felt uncertain.
The elements became a calm guide at a time when everything else seemed unstable.
The world reminded me to return to the hard and supportive things in my life. Water helped me flow with my emotions instead of fighting them. Fire reawakens the courage to take the next step. Vayu brought me the clarity I needed to make decisions with a calm mind. And Spirit has helped me believe that even difficult changes can have meaning and how we grow by responding to change.
Life will always bring moments that shake your sense of stability—losses, unexpected changes, or seasons of uncertainty. At this point, you may feel uprooted or unsure of where to turn. Yet the same elements that exist in nature exist in you. When you reconnect with them, you can rediscover a sense of stability, flexibility, resilience, clarity, and deep trust in your life path.
about Dana Harvey
Dava Harvey is a nationally board-certified health and wellness coach. She is passionate about helping others reconnect with their wholeness and rise to their infinite potential. Through a mindful, whole-health approach, she blends empowerment, alignment and soulful healing – creating space for real balance, deep awareness and meaningful change. Learn more at infinityhwc.com.
