SHARE THIS POST:
The other day one of my orchids began blooming. Orchids are an interesting metaphor right now. I used to toss them after their initial blooms fell away, not realizing that given time and virtually no attention, they would come back.
I’ve since learned they should be watered with barely one ice cube a week. They often need to be moved to another location to “wake” them up. But essentially, the rule of thumb is to ignore them. Let go of expectation and leave them be.
That’s how I’m feeling right now about our current situation. In the beginning I was glued to the news, I was looking up stats and feeling the fear around this silent war. This little virus circulating and wreaking havoc has brought with it some interesting developments. People in big cities are seeing clear skies for the first time in years. Pollution is down, and we are being called to stop our routines and create new ones. We live differently now.
My business depends on being able to create video, to tell stories. It is a collaborative business. I need people. I need subjects, a crew, others to fund it, and more yet who will watch it. So this pandemic is pushing me to re-evaluate my business, to find ways to create in the absence of a crew and funding. At least for now. Rather than listing all of the things that are not possible right now, or dwelling on what’s missing, I recognize the only way through is to look for opportunities that will continue to drive my need to tell stories and let go of what isn’t possible right now.
One of the reasons I love what I do is how I get to look at the human spirit. All we need to do is look around to see there is light shining through even the darkest of moments. There are the amazing souls on the front lines who are called to operate at a much higher level than before, to let go of their fear and walk into the fire each and every day.
Back to the orchid. The blooms are a lesson in patience, in letting go of obsessive behavior, and the notion that sometimes the best thing to do about something is…nothing. This doesn’t mean we sit around and binge Netflix or toss our hands in the air, forget about it completely, or let everything go. But there is a lesson here about what it means to surrender, to turn our attention elsewhere and find other ways of being in the world right now.
This isolation has a lot to teach us if we allow ourselves to accept and ultimately surrender to what is. We can feel the fear and struggle with the challenges this presents or we can begin to look for the opportunities this new reality presents.
One of my big excuses for not releasing my excess weight is stress. This hasn’t been an easy time on that front for sure. But as this situation persists I recognize an opportunity to surrender my expectations and simply commit to being conscious. Forgiving the thoughts and behavior that don’t serve me, and just let all the noise and stress go. It’s not a one and done proposition. It takes practice. I am creating a new structure.
Things like enjoying daily walks with my daughter and pup, feeling the joy of having my family home much more of the time, my two grown kids coming back to the nest to embrace the comfort of home and the safety of knowing we are together in this.
I’m looking for ways to be of service in my community. I have found a like-minded group of people in town who need my skills as a “vidiot” (create, edit and put up videos). As a result, we are scoring much-needed equipment for local healthcare workers, and encouraging monetary donations to the local food bank versus people giving canned goods. This allows the food bank to buy from big distributors and saves people from shopping unnecessarily.
So my challenge to you this week is to look beyond our current situation and stay open to opportunities for you to engage in ways that perhaps hadn’t occurred to you before. Begin opening up to other opportunities and leave be the things that are just going to take more time to bloom. Look for ways you can offer your talents (yes, you have them because you’re human) and find new ways to plug in. I start each day with this little mantra/prayer:
“Where would you have me go? What would you have me do? What would you have me say, and to whom?”
Or perhaps this little prayer resonates with you:
“God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.”
You are needed. Dispel the myth that there is nothing you can do. Begin surrendering and accepting all that is happening and look for the light coming in through the cracks. Now is the time to be of service where you can, to be of comfort where you can and to be protective of your light. It is a precious commodity right now and the world needs you to keep shining it wherever you are. Stay safe.
I encourage you to watch this video from Gabby Bernstein.
Thank you so much for this Sara! Your words deeply resonate with me as I am one of those people who is convinced “I have nothing to offer”. More than anything I needed to hear that last paragraph:
“You are needed. Dispel the myth that there is nothing you can do. Begin surrendering and accepting all that is happening and look for the light coming in through the cracks. Now is the time to be of service where you can, to be of comfort where you can and to be protective of your light. It is a precious commodity right now and the world needs you to keep shining it wherever you are. Stay safe.”
BE THE LIGHT other people see!! Thank you for always being that light and I will try to do the same. Be safe and be blessed!!
Dear Charla,
I can tell you that your kind words are a beautiful offering to me. Thank you and stay safe. ❤️❤️❤️❤️.