New Day Dawning!
I love this quote by Mr Sydney Banks in The Missing Link: Mind, Consciousness and Thought are the 3 principles that allow us to acknowledge and respond to existence - that one sentence says it all to me while explaining the full array of human nature and how differently people can experience life!
A new day is dawning with a fresh look! I know that's hard to imagine given the Pandemic we find ourselves currently in, and through no fault of our own. There's been so much written about this new virus strain lately that, frankly, I had no interest in contributing more in that direction. But as I have experienced my first week of social distancing, I find that I have much to write about. My hope is that it will help my readers going through their own thoughts and emotions about it all.
At first, I was annoyed at the fact that I had to postpone a Retreat in the Caribbean that I had planned for over six months, and looked forward to for weeks. Just two days before my scheduled departure, the news broke about not allowing people, from certain countries, back into the US. Up to that point I had been doing a lot of wishful thinking telling myself: the virus doesn't like warm climates, JFK will never be safer to walk through with all of their hygienic procedures in place, and the planes will be empty. I told myself it's the safest place to be; until I read this post by a colleague I have the utmost respect for, Judy Sedgeman: It was one of those light-bulb moments when I realized I really should not be boarding any plane unless it was an emergency! If I am a carrier without symptoms, I could infect others. If I get sick while I’m there what medical care would I have? What if I’m not allowed back in the United States? Wishful thinking morphed into common sense practicality. I’ve learned what wisdom feels like: settled and obvious once it’s heard.
It turned out that all parties agreed. It was so simple to switch gears as soon as a piece of wisdom broke through my wishful thinking.
When I realized that personal thinking had almost tripped me up again, beyond a humble face palm 😅moment, I became quite thankful to have been saved by the bell. Wisdom has a way of feeling like bells going off in my head, often followed by an imaginary face palm.
Many hopeful things have developed since then, and this is not wishful thinking this time; as verified by this article a dear friend forwarded to me and this one!
Every day is feeling more like Sunday to me. Sunday is the day I set aside to be in touch with family and friends. Sunday is the day I let myself off the hook about getting to the gym. I simply go if I want to and take a day off, if I prefer – I allow myself to exercise free will and it feels so good. Business calls go on a To-Do list for the following week, since many businesses are closed on Sunday anyway! I found that many of those calls come through to me when I sit back knowing it doesn't have to get done today, they wind up calling me first; like my optometrist calling to postpone my next week's appointment until April. That wasn't even on my "to do" list. I am realizing how much more I can relax about taking care of the stuff of life, not realizing the stress I put myself through on a daily basis trying to keep up! Trying to keep up with what? The imaginary life I've managed to box myself into. Not that my workaday life has been bad. I've enjoyed it tremendously, except the moments when I try to get too much done in a day!
A new day is dawning! We’re being offered more time to reflect. To go inside ourselves and look for wisdom to guide us through this adjustment/inconvenience/struggle/fear/uncertainty…..if we can think it, we’ll feel it!
I have been working with clients on a HIPAA compliant online platform from the comfort of our own homes and obviously at a safe social distance! I've not put make-up on or fixed my hair. I wouldn't be caught dead looking like this in my office building or anywhere else in public! The freedom cannot compare! LOL Of course the make-up hair thing is also a figment of my imagination sprinkled with a good dose of “societal norms.”
The retreat that was supposed to happen this week, turned into an intensive with an overseas couple online. Which is working out beautifully. And we have the opportunity to regroup in November, the 14th - 20th to be exact. And furthermore, my brilliant and delightful friend and colleague, Del Adey-Jones is able to join me that week. You can visit Del's radio show "Insightful Conversations" here: Del is a 3 Principles Coach who has a deep understanding of dysfunctional thinking and behavior that gets caught in peoples’ blind spots. She lived it and saw how to rise above it through her understanding of Universal Principles to experience her own transformation; and the people around her transformed as well. I like to call it the ripple effect. So, save the date and look for more information soon, it will be a wonderful retreat whether you have in the past or currently experience difficulty in your life. What we will share with you can be applied to any situation.
I realize that I am in a unique situation, I can work from home on a HIPAA compliant tele-med video session. I’m very grateful for this technology.
I’m aware that many will experience a decrease in income, or for some, a total loss of work. Some will use their free time as a stay cation relinquishing their getaway dreams, for now. Some will suffer with fear, others will see opportunities, hopefully not at the expense of others though! Some will gain a fresh outlook and see a new day dawning. All of us are being brought to our knees in some way, shape, or form. Our saving grace is that we each have the power to choose wisely whether we live in fear or hope for a better tomorrow.
So often, in my past, I have found that the things that appeared to be the most awful in my life turned into unexpected gifts. We can never predict what the future will hold.
I'm grateful for warmer weather, and the new buds of Spring. I'm avoiding gym classes and taking walks in my local park. Loads of people were there enjoying nature and clean air; confident they would have enough distance from others. We can still smile and say hello. So, there's no need to isolate; it's a good excuse to get out and walk. Just be mindful of retaining 6 ft between you and another person.
I want to share some things I have found to be very helpful:
I will leave off with a quote from my very wise primary care physician: “Our wish for you is that you will remain positive, safe, and hopeful. Find three things every day that you are grateful for. Breath in the spring air. Hug your household members extra tight. Stay connected with your family and friends via Face-time, Skype, etc. Check in on your elderly neighbors, Pray, meditate, and keep moving. I look forward to the day, down the road a bit, when we look back on this experience and see all of the blessings that were hidden in the chaos. “
May you have peace and good health in the days and weeks ahead.
Please send an email to: lori@3principlestherapy.com if you would like to set up an online session, or attend a group session on Thursday evenings at 6:30 PM EDT or a Young Adult group on Tuesday evenings at 7:30 PM, and you will receive an invitation to connect via Clocktree.
I also love this quote by Mr. Banks from The Missing Link: Mind, Consciousness and Thought are spiritual gifts that enable us to see creation and guide us through life.