Respite and replenishment in nature have become my saving graces this year. I watch myself fluctuate between wanting to run away to a deserted island or remote mountain top with actively engaging in the ebb and flow of our current times. Hope must remain a key player at each of our tables right now which means actively searching for joy, gratitude, compassion, patience, and grace. Just as the storms of nature come and go, so will the moments of challenge and flourishment.
As life continues to ebb and flow, we too must find ways to readjust our sails. We have different needs during times of challenge than we do when we are flourishing. Give ourselves permission to go with the flow, discover new ways of replenishing ourselves, and finding healing spaces is wisdom in action. As we listen to our inner compass, we can self authorize our amazing ability to shift and redirect in response to what unfolds before us. Sometimes we need to remind ourselves that we have choices! In the meantime, here are some reminders I’ve found to help bring me back to the center of ease and balance.
- Back to the basics-simplicity can be the most fulfilling gift to ourselves. Nature, art, music, people, books, conversations, gardening…….the slight shift to the moments that require the least additives are also the most grounding. We really don’t need very much to flourish…..or find balance. Reconnect to simple nourishment.
- Have you noticed a craving for a deep connection? We yearn for the pure presence of witnessing the lives of our people. Our most natural state is to commune, be in community, support each other, and validate our humanness with each other. Within your comfort zones, find ways to create this in your daily lives. By phone, email, in person, with nature, classes, Zoom….it takes just a bit of a connection with others to remind us of how powerfully fulfilling it can be with other humans that walk beside us through it all.
- Take a break from your routine- if you work from home now, add in plenty of moments that take you away from the home office. Change of scenery and perspective allows us to see our own lives from a broader scope. The micro reality is great for focus and keeping on task AND stepping back to see the big picture can illuminate options or solutions we couldn’t see before. Fresh eyes……fresh scenery and fresh perspective.
Uncertain and changing times opens up the opportunity to find new ways of relating to our world, each other, and ourselves. With gentle and childlike curiosity, welcome the discovery of different realities waiting to be nourished by your amazing wholehearted self.
