The challenge of a lifetime begins with hope

and the Olympics help too

Maybe we’re so hurt and heartbroken for the people of Minneapolis, and Minnesota, and America, and the whole wide world - never mind what’s going on with our own damn self - that sometimes we have to look away and, while we’re looking away, we’re filled with guilt because part of us thinks that if we keep our eyes on the screen, somehow, we’ll be able to fix it and the story-that-is-not-actually-a-story-because-it’s-real-life will look different the next time we look.

Maybe we’re more pissed off than we’ve ever been in our entire life.

Maybe we’re asking ourselves, “what exactly is going on here!?” because what our eyes tell us is very different than what we’re being told, and we keep trying to hold on to what we know in our heart is right.

Photo by Anne Nygård on Unsplash

Maybe we’re almost paralysed with fear that there is more to come, and we don’t know if our nervous system, or community, or state/province, or country will be able to handle it and we have no idea how to move past this sense of panic so we can do something productive.

Maybe we’re wondering if it can ever go back to how it was before.

Maybe all we’ve got right now is this very moment and an opportunity to come back to ourselves which, I agree Honeybun, sounds useless in the big scheme of things. But let us remember that Dr. Martha Beck says, “the way to deal with external instability is to create internal stability” because if we are all running around in fight or flight mode it creates a greater sense of urgency which is very contagious.

Maybe we mistake this sense of panic for wisdom but, regardless of what our hypervigilant, scattered self will tell us, we can’t access our true inner compass when our nervous system is jacked.

Maybe we can lean on the fact that a sense of feeling centered is just as contagious. (I had the word calm there but replaced it with feeling centered because it might not be possible to feel calm in these turbulent times but it IS possible to center ourselves and work from there). The walking monks are demonstrating this (google them), and oh yeah, remember Ghandi and Jesus? Those dudes maintained their center in the eye of the storm.

Maybe we can do the inner work to shift from panic and anxiety so we gain a greater sense of inner peace and, in doing so, start to shift the energy in the room rather than contributing to the chaos. One idea is to take our attention outward and focus on 5 tangible things…the grass is many shades of green, the snow makes a crunching sound when we walk, the streetlight is flickering in the dusk. Moving our thoughts outward to specific things draws us into the present and may help us recognize that right now, at this exact time, we are okay.

Maybe we can move from a place of sadness and anger, even just a little, by recognizing that we are not alone. There are a kazillion pissed off people trying to live in love and compassion (we see you Minneapolis and we stand with you). And, speaking of not being alone - what about all the things that are beyond our comprehension? As we witness the worst aspects of human nature playing on the global field let us remember that perhaps there IS a peace that passes all understanding (I believe there is) and if we can help ourselves settle down enough we might be able to access it even as all hell breaks loose around us. We are never alone and hope lives in community and connection (and the Olympics - go Canada!)

Maybe we can breathe in, breathe out and know that we matter - while also holding gently to hope.

Maybe on the other side of this chaos is a better world.

Holding you in light and prayer Dear One, please take care of yourself.

xoxo Donna

P.S. Community holds us up during difficult times. I love that you are part of The Bright Life community because you are a reader (insert big smooch here!) and when we chat with each other in the comments it helps us share our collective energy to feel better.

Here are two questions for us: what is one small thing you do to feel centered and do you watch and cheer during the Olympics? I do. I’ve been known to cover my entire front window in a homemade set of the Olympic rings.

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Stay awesome Lovebug!