Heal and Move Mountains

Looking around suggests there are a lot of us who might feel, “I was made for this time.”  To be a grounded, loving force in the face of catastrophe.  How well we can pull it off is a whole other matter, speaking for myself.  All I know, it’s who I’ve always aspired to be.  What I’ve been in training for.  

To whatever extent before we are conceived we have a say in what our upcoming incarnation will help us achieve, I’m sure I asked for a life that would draw me closer to God while still being Dr. Cool.  I wasn’t ready for decades of meditation in a Himalayan cave.  I wanted to dance through the world sprinkling gold dust, celebrating everything for what it really is: a manifestation of the Divine. 

Like everybody maybe, I overlooked the fine print.  My curriculum came with a lot more than angels kissing me goodnight.  For every lent hand there’s been a shove off a cliff.  Grace and adversity in balance.  Til I got the joke.  Adversity is grace disguised.  Wounds a part of learning to fly.  Grotesque, shame-inducing, lifetimes old the obstacles can be.  All the legacy of my own ignorance: seeking wholeness anywhere but within.  More & Better says the bumper sticker of awakening.

Which is why I feel able to lean in to this distinctly heartbreaking time.  Like so many others who are bringing all the love they can to here and now.  

In that light, if I were asked to recommend to my eight billion closest friends a single action each of us can take that will serve us well in this time of great change, I couldn’t do it.  I have two:

ONE

Breathe in love, 

breathe out fear and pain.  

In through your nose.  Out through your mouth.

As often as you remember.  

Every little bit grows

calmness, pliancy, peace, resilience…

our connectedness to everything.

If you’re like me, 

you’ll lose track a million times a day.  

Fageddaboutit. 

Do it all you can.  

When taking a walk, for instance.

The two greatest gifts of being human are 

the power of choice

 and the power breath.

Together, 

they heal and move mountains 

where it matters most.

Within us.

TWO

Do your best to love the person in front of you.

So much is changing.

 More fear, more pain.

Less confidence, less competence.

It’s exhausting.

More crankiness, less patience.

Some hefty wackiness.

None of us is immune.

See beyond behavior.

Give everybody all the break you can.

Starting with you know who.