Every one is on a unique journey in these times. Some of feeling calm, others grieving, others numb, others scared, others uplifted, others rageful.
All of these feelings are valid! All are not pleasant or easy. But all these feelings want to be embraced and accepted and expressed and heard.
Many of us are feeling different every day, perhaps every hour, as our situation changes, as we hear news of others' losses or victories, as we reflect on what's happening for those less fortunate.
Let us treat ourselves and others with fierce compassion.
Let us aim to tenderly and completely accept what is arising in Self and Others.
This does not mean holding others and ourselves accountable for our actions. This means loving. This means opening. This means being courageously vulnerable.
Being present, open and vulnerable can be a tall order in any situation. But it is immensely freeing and strengthening and grounding.
Without being present our feelings, we may spend an immense amount of energy pushing down our feelings and projecting our feelings onto others (resulting in stress and disconnection).
Being present with our feelings frees up that energy. That energy is then available to nourish our inner terrain, which includes our psyche, our soul, our Creative Spirit. Our inner terrain also includes our bodies, our hearts, our lungs and our immune systems.
Our inner terrain is key to our well-being, to our joy, to our capacity to serve our families and communities.
The virus's gift and the virus's demand is to open up to our vulnerability, to open up to our feelings, to open up whatever is present. This goes hand-in-hand with offering love and compassion to Self and Others.
The result is a positively reinforcing cycle of love, strength, openness, and groundedness.
Keith L'Amour