A seemingly long time ago, a pandemic arrived in our towns. We entered quarantine a bit shell shocked but hopeful for a temporary respite. When the date for “normal” was pushed back, we engineered creative solutions to our circumstances.
Outdoor visits, neighborhood singing, zoom game night, food drives, and even old fashion letter writing.
Along the way, as the summer’s warmth faded and quiet holidays passed, the gray cold winter zapped more than our vitamin D. We became less likely to reach out to friends and our social circles shrunk.
We turned further inward. Seeking comfort in the known.
By week’s end, our brains were fried by screen time and colleagues voices in our air pods. The kids were tired and parents’ nerves were frayed. Play dates, travel, dinners out, and de-stressing at the gym became dim memories.
Eventually it became easier to shrink to the confines of our restricted lives.
Perhaps the Scottish writer, Donna Ashworth, captured the zeitgeist of these lonely winter months.
We are spent.
We have nothing left to say.
We are tired of saying “I miss you” and “I cant wait for this to end.”
So we mostly say nothing, put our heads down and get through each day.
And then the light returned. A promise of Spring. A bit of warmth.
Still, so many remain tired. Feeling tumbled about like a seashell in the surf. The grief of personal and shared losses dampens our capacity for optimism. Our social recovery has been slow. We seek to define the unknown. To package it in terminology we can stomach.
As if the “new normal” is in anyway palatable.
We share a longing for contact with our species, yet a pervading discomfort remains. Leaving us hesitant. Tentatively peeking out the proverbial front door, we wave to our neighbors but don’t yet invite them to dinner on the deck.
It’s no longer just a fear of contracting COVID or placing others at risk.
A general malaise with a side of withdrawal is lingering in our population. From mild uneasiness to full blown experiences of depression and anxiety, the withdrawal from social contact becomes self protective.
We’re tired of talking about the pandemic and its effects.
But what is left to say? As the world closed down and our lives grew smaller, our social world contracted. And even while the light returns and outdoors beckon, many are feeling less than interesting or perhaps downright antisocial. Loneliness, insecurity, or a vague sense of dis-ease has taken root within us.
Let’s not judge ourselves or our neighbors.
Like the lingering aftermath of an illness, a grief or a shock, we are in recovery. That makes sense. We long to feel the ground solid beneath our feet, the wind in our hair, and our face warmed by the light. We seek a future that promises to be bright.
Hopeful for the reemergence that we can’t quite name. Or trust.
For now, we rest when we are tired. We whisper kind words to the hesitant one who lives within us. We seek to understand how to decrease loneliness without compromising our need for solitude. We take our time coming back to life. Back to each other.
Letting the natural world model how it’s done.
Slowly. Each blossom beckoning gently to our wounded psyche. Offering hope and the potential of healing to all those inner places affected by the layers of upheaval – personal and global. We watch the Earth around us bloom and brighten. Slowly, yet persistently. And if we look closely, while we move gently, we notice something profound is happening.
Life is softly beckoning. Revealing the process of reemergence.
We respond to this invitation. Strolling beyond closed doors and boundaried yards to seek our playmates and awaken the interest in living. We venture into the wider world, boldly or with great hesitation. It is not the way we step back in, but the intent to do so.
Turning our faces to the light. Willing to consider a future that is bright.
Peace be with you and with all. No exceptions.
Finding Awe in the Ordinary. You know the power of nature to restore your wellbeing. And surprise you with its creative presence. Cultivating a sense of awe in the wonder around you (or viewed on screen) gives a boost to your mental, emotional, physical, and spiritual health. Here’s one guy’s little video about seeking awe. Nature is waiting for you. Get off the couch if you can. Or find a nature documentary and watch it on your biggest screen if you can’t.
Learn the one essential skill that allows you to face any challenge with confidence, sturdiness, and inner calm.
More than a technique. It’s a game changer.
In September, I’m returning to the Temples of Humankind in Damanhur, Italy. It feels like an understatement to claim that this is a place of power, mystery, and majesty. Yet, I’ve found this to be true for myself and those I’ve met who’ve traveled within the extraordinary to the Temples and the community of Damanhur.
One cool Spring morning, I stepped on the treadmill at the gym looking forward to walking a few miles. Recovering from an injury, I had to walk at a moderate pace so I had brought my copy of What Is Enlightenment? magazine to explore. I always found something to inspire me within this publication focused upon consciousness, culture, and cosmos.
Stress is a natural experience in life. It’s often viewed as a doorway to disruption of wellbeing, peace of mind, and a clear navigational path in a challenging situation.
I’m a bit of a news hound these days. As one who hasn’t watched a newscast in years, I’m surprising myself. Ordinarily, I wait for the news to come to me. And it does. When something is important for me to know or respond to, I hear about it. Kind friends, clients, my husband, or a random stranger share a soundbite which cues me to look into a situation further. I’ve been very comfortable with this level of engagement for years now.
In the midst of our country’s woes, I’ve got Lucinda Williams singing in my head.
“You can’t rule me
you wanna go and tell me what’s good for me
you wanna tell me what I’m payin’ for
Well, the game is fixed, it’s plain to see
I ain’t playin’ no more”
I drove through a hail storm today. It began gently, offering a musical accompaniment to my journey. Intensifying, the hail noisily demanded my attention.
