Tag: hope

We’re not quite there yet…

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If we lose love and respect for each other, this is how we finally die

Maya Angelou

Watching the news last evening my heart skipped a couple of beats as I watched the first woman in the United Kingdom become the first recipient of the vaccine for Covid-19. That is until, the next stories aired, which were about anti-mask demonstrations in my province, seniors dying in nursing homes, and the usual nonsense from the outgoing President of the United States who continues to wreak havoc.

So how do we get through the next number of months until most of the globe receives the vaccine? Surveys indicate that a sizeable portion of our population will not participate in this process and that larger numbers of people in our community will fall ill before those who want the opportunity to become immune to this virus actually have a chance to do so. How does this level of dissonance play out?

What are the chances I wonder, that people will begin to respect each other long enough to reach the finish line in this global race that we are in together? My fervent hopes are that reason and rationale will be restored, misinformation will disappear from social media and other sources, and that for what is likely only several months of next year, we will once again pull together by staying apart to keep each other safe.

Stay healthy and well!!

Leave those ghosts behind

Photo credit LMeyer

The great courageous act that we must all do, is to have the courage to step out of our history and past so we can live our dreams.

Oprah Winfrey

One of the challenges of these times is to remain balanced and to focus on the positives in our present and to spend some time planning for our future. It is all to easy to long for days gone by and to succumb to rumination about all that we may be missing out on in our lives because of the pandemic.

As the weather has become colder and the virus spread intensifies, it may seem even harder to focus on our goals, future hopes and dreams.

Seeking opportunities to develop skills that we ordinarily would never take the time to learn may take us down a path that has the potential to land us in a more positive place down the road.

Becoming more mindful of our health of both ourselves and those around us may have unexpected benefits in the future.

Learning unique ways to stay connected with one another may teach us to become more intentional with our connections and relationships.

Using technology to learn new skills may force us to move in directions that open up a realm of new opportunities and possibilities.

Taking time to develop a practice, routine, or set of activities that make us feel better about our selves and others is something we can carry forward and build into our future day to day lives.

Our world has been consumed with busyness and missed moments because there isn’t ever enough time to focus on goals or our aspirational dreams. Instead of living in regret for what we are missing right now, we could take these moments to reframe all of what is happening in our present reality as gifts which may enhance new learning. It’s time to release those ghosts in our past that have served as barriers and to embrace what may now be possible for our future.

Stay healthy and safe!

You don’t give up

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Hope begins in the dark, the stubborn hope that if you just show up and try to do the right thing, the dawn will come. You wait and watch and work: you don’t give up

Anne Lamott

This felt like a morning where getting out of bed might be the last thing I wanted to do. Daybreak meant another day of thinking about the disheartening results of our recent provincial election, the pandemic, and my steep learning curve to learn how to deliver a mental health course on Zoom.

Learning that the newly elected governing party doesn’t want to separate from our country but will fight for “autonomy” provides little comfort. It likely just means more divisiveness, a giant step backwards in the fight against climate change, little hope for reconciliation and mean spirited rhetoric about the economy. Seems to be not only more of the same but emulates what is happening politically all over the globe.

Our prime minister stated yesterday that this pandemic “sucks”. That certainly is a statement that resonates. But the reality is we all need to continue to do our part and an end to this will certainly come but not soon. So once again, I need to allow myself, small measured doses of reading or listening to the news. Otherwise it simply overwhelms.

So I will get serious and focus on learning how to use technology to connect with others and provide some support and resources for positive mental health. Likely the adage practice makes perfect applies here. I am indeed aware that learning new things requires patience and applied effort, regardless of how hopeless it may initially seem.

Thankfully, my writing practice continues to soothe my weary soul. Consider that I am studying the writing craft from the perspective of Anne Lamott and this morning happened upon the above quote. I definitely needed her message of hope. And I won’t give up.

Stay healthy and safe!

Climbing the empathy ladder

An empathy wall is an obstacle to a deep understanding of another person, one that can make us feel indifferent or even hostile to those who hold different beliefs or whose childhood is rooted in different circumstances.

Arlie Hochschild
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In 2016, American sociologist, Arlie Hochschild wrote a book titled, “Strangers in their own land”. Many read with interest this exploration and examination of the United States and the rise to power of President Trump. One concept that she outlined has stuck with me over the past four years. In order to understand others who have different values, beliefs and attitudes than us, we may need to climb over an empathy wall in order to develop connections with them.

During these anxiety provoking times, the American presidential debate might have provided a beacon of light and hope for the future. But sadly, it did not. It was simply a spectacle the likes of which most analysts suggest they had never seen before. I have always watched them to develop a deeper understanding of our neighbours to the south.

Although the news feeds seem to be rife with scenes of protest, divisiveness, and violence in America, there are many pressing concerns to be addressed not the least of which is the global pandemic. Perhaps my expectations for this televised debate were too high, but I watched anticipating a signal that things would be moving in a more positive direction.

There wasn’t one.

One wonders how difficult it will be during the next few months for people to climb “an empathy wall” in order to develop connections to work with one another.

Hopefully, the inherent goodness in humanity will prevail and people will be able to climb over this chasm of division so globally we can begin to move forward. Perhaps a sense of hope is the ladder we need to get to where we need to be.

Stay healthy and safe!

Listen carefully

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I like to listen. I have learned a great deal from listening carefully. Most people never listen.

Ernest Hemingway

Reading news feeds over the past couple of days reveals that on a global level we are not using our ability to listen to one another. There is a constant cacophony of voices aggressively demanding to be heard. Political rhetoric is ramping up, the anxiety of re-opening and returning to school and work is significantly heightened, and people everywhere seem to be shouting at each other.

Listening is a skill that we have to work at and today it seems to be at risk of becoming lost as we collectively demand that others meet our needs. Stepping back, it seems nonsensical that politicians have to resort to shaming us into following public health orders in an effort to keep us safe. Public health doctors who are working tirelessly on our communal behalf, are now having to hire security as their lives are being threatened.

I wonder what it will take for us to learn to listen to one another. It seems that there is no time but the present for humans to work at this particular life skill.

Take the time today to notice the simple task of listening. Are the people in your world hearing your voice? Are you reciprocating and hearing the voices of others before reacting and responding to them? We are constantly and consistently being told to follow some basic strategies to move through this pandemic in the safest possible way.

Our future outcomes seem to depend on a simple yet difficult to achieve skill – listening to one another. Imagine what could happen if all of the people around us would actually take the time to truly listen to what is being shared about the need for everyone of us to follow some basic guidelines.

It is going to take a collective global effort of working together to move through this pandemic. That likely means setting aside some of our needs in order to keep others in our communities safe.

And it will start with all of us taking the time to listen to others around us about how to achieve this.

Stay healthy and safe!

Sifting through a kaleidoscope of emotion

Photo by L. Meyer

The dark does not destroy the light; it defines it. It’s our fear of the dark that casts our joy into shadows.

Brene Brown

It seems challenging to say the least, to stay grounded and positive with so much anxiety and uncertainty looming in our lives these days. It seems that many of us are experiencing an ongoing kaleidoscope of mixed emotions.

We may be watching to understand how the return to school for students around the globe will turn out.

Waiting for information about the timing of a safe vaccine.

Worrying about political pandemonium close to home.

Wondering about the possibility and probability of a second wave.

Feeling frustrated that the positivity of earlier months in the pandemic seems to have vanished.

Being courageous during trying times requires conscious and mindful attention to all that is good in our lives. Finding the self-knowledge within to understand that life is about seeking balance. Being grateful for what we have. Recognizing that shifting between the positive and negative allows us to see the value of both.

Reaching out to our people as often as we can. Our connections with one another remain the most important aspects of our lives. Respecting that will enable us all to safely get through these trying times. May you find both joy and light during these difficult times.

Stay healthy and safe!

Catching our breath

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Almost everything will work again if you unplug it for a few minutes…including you

Anne Lamott

Have you noticed an uptick with your neighbours, or friends, family members talking more about their theories of what might transpire when the kids return to school. Do your conversations now include discussions about the number of active cases of COVID-19 infections as handily as we used to discuss the weather? How often do you find yourself checking online after local health officials release the number of new and recovered cases in your community?

Our news feeds seem full of angry vitriol about what we should or should not be doing to move forward during this pandemic. Whether we should wear a mask or not. Or whether we should provide an economic hand up to those in need. This seems to be set against a backdrop of ongoing images of violence from the United States along with the ramping up of political rhetoric that is moving towards a tsunami of hatred.

At times it seems we have been caught in some strange gravitational pull into a vortex of negative news.

How do we step back from it all and regain our equilibrium?

It seems that we all need to take a collective step back, pause, and regain some balance. Return to a world that has people showing compassion for one another regardless of our identity. A world that once again cares about the environment, and no longer politicizes a public health threat. Finding our footing these days requires a tremendous amount of intentional emotional and psychological energy.

The most sensible strategy seems to be to simply put a pause on all of the outside noise and go analog for a few days. I have found that consciously seeking out opportunities to engage in acts of kindness, generosity, and show empathy for those around me also helps to reset. Writing, and other creative pursuits not only take up these spaces where negativity seems to have infiltrated my life but serve to remind me about the things that work to help me regain balance.

What will you do to reset during these difficult times?

Stay healthy and safe!

Random acts of “whimsy”

Photo credit – L Meyer

You must not ever stop being whimsical. And you must not, ever, give anyone else the responsibility for your life

Mary Oliver

Have you ever stopped to reflect on how many aspects of our lives are governed by work, productivity, money, politics, etc. As opposed to spontaneity, creativity, and playfulness. We often believe that we lose our ability to play as we develop into adulthood. But it doesn’t need to end there. There are many ways that adults can play, be creative, and share this wonderful trait with others.

I have walked by this collection of magical bird houses in my neighbourhood for a number of months without recognizing just how precious and rare this whimsical creation really is. Our ability to engage in playful, fanciful pursuits is often curbed by being too busy, too stressed, or taking ourselves and our lives too seriously.

Indeed, as we move forward in our lives, we also seem to lose our natural abilities to live in the moment. This causes many of us to ignore the simple joys that exist in our daily surroundings. And right now this all seems to be complicated by the many potentially destructive and harmful forces in our lives that are currently impacting so many people around the globe.

How do we find our way back to those moments in our lives where we can play, where we can simply be and briefly take time to step back to enjoy a chance to see life through a more playful lens. Seeking out the whimsical in our lives can be inspirational and bring meaning into our daily routines. By looking around our neighbourhoods and communities, we may be pleasantly surprised by the creations of others designed to bring small pleasures into the world for all of us to enjoy.

The more I walk mindfully each day in the area where I live, the more amazed I have become by the creative actions of others. Whether it is an art installation, guerrilla gardening on unused patches of land, or a whimsical birdhouse collection in a back alley. These playful creations underscore our positive and real connections to each other.

Now more than ever, we need to either seek out random acts of whimsy in our part of this world or to create them ourselves and share with others. We can’t underestimate the healing power of play and creativity!

Stay healthy and safe!

Achieve your dreams at any age

Photo credit – L. Meyer

It doesn’t matter how slow you go, as long as you don’t stop

Confucius

I find myself collecting stories about elders in my community who break through barriers after many years in order to follow their dreams. Each of these stories reveals that perseverance and passionate persistence can culminate in some amazing achievements. And each story comes with unique hurdles that must be surmounted and overcome.

This past week, I have been following the story of Jackie Arnason who published her first children’s book later in her life. The launch of this published book took place this past Sunday on “Book Lover’s Day”. In an interview with local media, Jackie described how reading and writing stories helped her while growing up in the 30’s. A time of immense challenge for most people growing up in the Canadian prairies.

Like many of the writers that I know, Jackie spoke of her passion for story telling and the fact that she finally came to terms with her fears which kept her from following that dream for decades. Finally, with encouragement from a family member who had connections in the publishing industry, she was able to push forward and realize her desire to see one of her stories in print.

What makes this journey even more noteworthy is that it occurred at age 87, which many of us can’t even quite imagine living to see, let alone being the age in which you finally begin accomplishing your long held goals.

Now energized by this success and with a new direction for her creative pursuits, Jackie is hard at work on her second children’s book to be published in the near future. As I listened to an in depth interview about this fascinating late in life journey, I couldn’t help but wonder what might have been different about this woman’s story if fear hadn’t intervened and kept her from moving forward.

How often do we find ourselves stuck or stymied because we are afraid of taking a risk? Afraid of being judged or of failing or of not measuring up to what we believe others can do. Fear holds many of us hostage and as I have been learning, it is never too late to stand up to our fears and overcome them.

It is remarkable to see the tenacity of the creative spirit. By seeking these amazing artistic elders out, it gives me courage to formulate my own later in life goals. By following our dreams at any stage of life and finding the courage to shed the chains of fear, we can only move forward.

Be healthy and safe!