Last week we had a “Lotus Lounge” gathering for the Young Women’s Division (YWD). There were several leaders present in that meeting, as were guests (folks attending for the first time). I, as a practitioner (and newly appointed YWD leader) instinctively took over explaining the introductory concepts of Buddhism to new members as I noticed that they felt a bit lost. I impromptu led this concept & keyword introduction, by the end of which the guests felt grounded and like they knew what was going on. The rest of the room was stunned and impressed by how smoothly I did so. Several older members asked me how I was able to breakdown concepts so easily, as they found it hard to do so when they met non- practicing but curious folks. This was unexpected, but it came super naturally to me. I remember attending this meeting for the first time two years ago in the exact same house, when I was still relatively new to the city. I would speak & occupy space, but my confidence and judgement was nowhere near as strong as it is today. Back then, I would have never been able to just take over like this and answer questions for new members in the way that I did this time. My growth felt so visible to me. I am happy & proud of how far I have come in the way that I show up ☘️😇