Little pockets of sanity

Life is a marvellous thing -- no, really it is -- but right now, betwixt a global pandemic and likely mass unemployment, it's hard not to get lost in a desperate wellspring of misery.

"Why me?"

My shtick (if I were to market myself!) wouldn't be premised on offering yet more advice, answers or even a cool sense of vulnerability to what ails you (I long ago dropped the 'coach' badge), no, instead, I'd invite us to wonder. I don't mean to daydream, although that might be in the mix. No to think about and ruminate on the notion of limits, endings, grief, sorrow and love. Especially love.

Of course, this sense of "What if?" isn't going to (inter alia) pay the bills or necessarily pull you out your funk, but then again, don't you feel that what we've done previously -- if not personally then certainly collectively -- hasn't really allowed us to see a more beautiful world our hearts know is possible (see the book with the same title by Charles Eisenstein)? I don't mean to suggest that you're the author of your own misfortune but perhaps, just perhaps, more of the same isn't where we now need to turn our gaze.

What I'm hinting at though, more than ever (and hence the rubric to today's meagre post), is in those fleeting moments of wonderment, we might find ourselves more lucid, more upright and able not only to fully comprehend our situation but to see it through a new vista.

But then again, in that heady state of wonderment, we may not be hopeful of anything more than our eventual demise. (That's a given for all of us and always, for me at least, puts things in perspective.)

Here again, that lonely feeling of despair might not be what the doctor ordered, but sit with it for long enough and perhaps out of the cesspit of your orphan self might come a new take on what it means to be human. And in my book when comfort is so often the only show in town, I'm not sure that's such a bad thing.

In the end though how you approach any situation is a matter for your discernment but going (again) for the tried and tested option might not be the best way to navigate these choppy waters.

Blessings,

Julian

Photo by Federico Bottos on Unsplash

Comments

Mindfulness isn't...

A label to add to the other two dozen you've amassed. Something to sell as a new productivity tool. A badge of honour. A way to make people inferior if they don't get 'it'. A practice that only finds home in one area of your life. A way to exit from life's travails. A way to talk and act differently to true self. A course, retreat or YouTube video. No, mindfulness is everything. It's life. But not the life where you live on the edge between this moment and the one you're chasing. Mindfulness is now. This breath -- the in, the out and the rest in between. It means above all paying attention, fully. If you need a question to inform your mindfulness practice, try the first koan from the Mondo Zen Training Manual: "Is it possible to just purely listen? Can you listen without an opinion?" You can shorten this to one word: listen. Yes, that's it. Mindfulness is to listen. Listen. Listen. Listen. Have a w...

10 Reasons Why You Should Blog

#1 - Because you can. #2 - You've something to say. #3 - It's a way to get closer to the real you. #4 - To help others. #5 - To make a difference. #6 - To build a body of work that, one day, might ignite a bigger spark than you ever dreamed possible. #7 - Because it's fun. #8 - To learn from others who are prepared to comment. #9 - To leave a legacy. #10 - To connect soul with role. Of course, there are as many reasons not to blog, but if you've learned anything over the course of your life, it's the power of words to change lives. Take care. Blessings, Julian PS. The picture is of Charles Bukowski in reflective mood.

Kindness et al.

Now, more than ever, we need to find a way through this collapsing world . Yes, there are lots of strategies, templates and exhortation we could employ but, truthfully, we know in our hearts that if only there was a little less hate and a lot more kindness the world would be a much better place - in so many ways. Then again, the trope has been done to death and look where it's got us. Not very far. Perhaps it is that we've an aversion to opening ourselves up in case we're taken advantage of or worse still. Perhaps it is that we don't feel it. It's more act than truth. Perhaps there's no quid pro quo. (Does there or should there be?) Truth is, I've no more an idea than you why the world is too often riven with a lust for hate when it should be in swoon to kindness. That doesn't (of course) stop me wondering. And wonder I will alongside all those other issues that continue to haunt me. Blessings, Julian

Julian Summerhayes

Search This Blog