This has been an unusual spring for many of us. The challenges brought on by COVID-19 and a worldwide pandemic that has touched our local community and the rhythm of our lives have also brought an opportunity to us. Many are reconsidering the ways they have been moving through life, looking for a broader perspective.
Some are surprised to find they have quite needed the state of rest and reconsideration. Many are concerned, of course, about economic challenges, both at the personal level and within our society and around the globe. Yet, spring has come. Birds sing. Flowers bloom. The rain falls and the sun rises. As always, nature is our teacher and she invites us to see with new eyes the rhythms of our lives and the beauty always being born in and among us.
Everything Belongs
Our current circumstance has led to opportunities for connection in new ways. We have watched and perhaps participated in online connections with friends and families. We have listened to Andrea Bocelli sing in an empty cathedral and step out beneath the vast skies to sing a simple hymn of grace in life’s challenging journey. We have reminded one another that #weareinthistogether and that #thistooshallpass. We are beginning to connect with the broader perspective.
More than ever, we can see we all matter. We all belong. What would happen if we allow ourselves to meet one another with this heartfelt recognition each and every day from here forward? Nature is a symphony of change. Yet, within its seasons of change, things are always coming to life and all living things are honored for their unique contribution to the whole.
Consider how you will commit to seeing with new eyes the people you encounter day by day—both those you know well and those who have always seemed so different that you have perhaps treated them as “other” instead of beginning with the remembrance that we belong to one another.
Compassionate Response
We’ve all been heartened by the many stories of first responders and front-line healthcare and service workers. Yet so often we have taken these things for granted. In the time of coronavirus there have been many examples of ordinary people taking extraordinary actions to respond with kindness and compassion.
There is a saying that reminds us, when our hearts break to let them break open. Questions to consider as we return to our daily lives might include:
- How can I live in a more compassionate way?
- How can I respond with kindness and love?
- Where are there opportunities to be more mindful and aware of the contributions of others?
- What will be my response to the need for a listening ear?
- How can I put love into action in my community today?
Awe and Wonder
One of the remarkable things about this time has been the regeneration of nature. Around the world and here in Cherokee County the skies have seemed cleaner, more blue and less filled with the pollution of our busy lives. There has been a kind of quiet that has led many to creative pursuits. From curling up with a good book to self-expression to conversation with old friends or simply time to sit and reflect, many moments have led us back to the simple joys and wonders of this life.
As we emerge from lockdown and sheltering in place, let us not lose that sense of awe and wonder at the world around us and the world within us. From the true nature on full display this spring to your true nature, there is so much to celebrate. Let’s hold fast to the broader perspective.
Here at True Center, we want to take a moment to express our gratitude and celebration of you. Our connection with one another is a great gift. In this time of great change, tend to your true center. Stay wholly connected to you, to family and friends, to our community, to nature and to our world. May this pause be a time from which true treasures are carried forward in your own life and in the life of our community.
Enjoy the May flowers and let your life be a flowering.
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