Emerging as Ourselves
Amidst the calm and the chaos of our world, I feel a collective pressure for us emerge different or better when the distancing has stopped for us. I have found myself caught up in times the past couple of weeks thinking “Now is the time for me to finish writing my book”, or “I need to create something with this time”. What I believe to be true is this time is not to better ourselves - leaving us with an assumption something is wrong with us or we have to be different to be better.
The pressure to emerge with answers or somehow a new and improved version of us might come from our inherent need to be busy – to be accomplishing and to be doing. While this may change, I am keenly aware I secretly relish in my calendar becoming blank with canceling reoccurring commitments and other meetings. I feel a calm. I also am very aware I have the privilege right now of being okay. Of having food in my kitchen and a pillow to lay my head at night amongst those I greatly love.
Things may change but for now there is a great divide in the privilege many reading this have and others. There will be a greater divide in priviledge and others when we emerge. When this time is over and we are able to mourn - feel the magnitude of lives lost and lives changed we will show up more mindful. We will emerge not filling in the blanks of our calendar but rather adding what is true and works in our lives. We will find ways to meet others we were too busy for before for a walk or lunch or to hear their next great idea. We will talk about how our children and others were affected by the isolation of the pandemic. Maybe though we do not have to write the book or do the thing. We can observe and not add a todo.
But as far as emerging better? No. I think if we need a goal or list in this we emerge as more mindful, more outwardly loving to others, more interested in words spilling from another's lips and we linger longer in our hugs. We do not need to better ourselves or become a different person. More mindful though will only better us all. For many will need us. We will need us. To offer a soft play to land, a person to listen to them.
We write about a quieter time now and relishing in it for some. This is privilege dear friends. A privilege many do not have – even in fear we have food in our homes and a bed to sleep in. May we not emerge with a pressure to be different but rather a slow exhale of mindfulness so we may take care of ourselves and others the best we can.
