Are We There yet?
Too often we are impatient and try to ‘get through’ things. It is as though we are children again in the back seat of the family vehicle, bored and waiting to get to our final destination.
We may forget that we are the ones driving this vehicle we call our lives.
We yearned for 2020 to go by quickly, as if dates on a calendar would make the world better. It almost seems as though the Universe heard our pleas to speed up time and hasn’t stopped since. It is understandable to want to escape or avoid painful experiences, especially those that we have no control over. But there is no hack that can make things fundamentally better for us and escaping or wishing away reality doesn’t change our circumstances either.
Instead, life demands our presence. Life will keep throwing things at us that demand we pay attention, no matter how painful it is. Every day, life gives us opportunities to fully be alive rather than merely getting through the days and waiting to be on the other side when everything is better.
Can we be in the liminal space, where flow exists? Can we find that precious space where our hearts are open and we experience glimpses of what feels like magic? Where time seems to stop, and we are not clinging to the past or worrying about the future? Where we are nothing and everything all at the same time?
What Beauty Awaits
Our senses,
Our hearts,
Our souls
In the depths of moments
In the space between breaths,
Between sleeping and waking.
The spaces where
Water meets land
Sound meets air
Wind meets skin
Heart meets mind
Body meets soul
Fear meets courage
Sadness meets hope
Joy meets sorrow
Love meets anger
Hurt meets comfort
Peace meets chaos
Pain meets compassion
Grief meets tenderness
Laughter meets release
Safety meets the exhale
Softness meets rigidity
Silence meets breath
Light meets darkness.
I will meet you there.
There is no ‘there’ to get to. We are here now, and it is a choice whether or not to be present. We may tell ourselves that ‘I’ll be happy when...” or “I’ll save this for a special occasion”, while we get through the monotony and drudgery of our daily lives. None of us know how many days we have, so perhaps we could start living each day as if it could be our last.
That doesn’t mean that we should be reckless or careless with our words or actions, or with other people’s feelings or hearts. It is the opposite. It means that we can try to care more about ourselves and others, our own hearts and theirs. Even in the difficult moments. Especially in the difficult moments. It might mean finding one kind thought about a person in the moment. Or considering the impacts of our actions on others rather than solely thinking of our own wants and needs. We can be true to ourselves while still being true to others.
We can be carefree without being careless. We can be joyful without being reckless. We can build solid foundations of character upon which to experience these sensations. Day by day. Moment by moment.
It can be difficult in the midst of daily life, when bills need to be paid, children need to be cared for, when the news would tell us that we should worry, that things are only going to get worse and the future seems uncertain. Even in difficult times, we still have choices to make. And perhaps in difficult times, those choices are even more important and more impactful than we can imagine.
We can choose to live as if each day is a work of art and we are the artists. Perhaps that means creating more than we consume; or doing something simply for the joy it brings to us. Perhaps that means reaching out to or creating community. We may cultivate the art of spending time with those we care about the most and reveling in every moment, such as shared smiles and laughter, or simply enjoying the feeling of belonging. Or we may cultivate the art of solitude and belonging to ourselves.
In difficult times, strength is needed to do difficult things, but hardness is not. Perhaps strength can come from singing to our favorite song, listening to it on repeat and letting our bodies move in whatever way feels like bliss. Strength can also mean doing the thing we are afraid to do, or at least taking small steps toward the thing, one at a time. Or simply doing nothing when our bodies are screaming at us to cease doing. We can choose to find joy. Wash with like-hearted souls, rinse with care, repeat as necessary. Let’s hang our cares to dry for a time.
We never know which words and interactions may be our last. We are all here…until we are not. How can we live more fully each day?