The Easter ‘holiday’ is over – and what a wonderful four days of rest, sunshine, gardening, walking and relaxing it was. But now, ‘back to work’ (whatever that means in this era) and I’m awake with acute anxiety at 3.45am. Eventually, at 4.45am I gave in, came downstairs and made coffee. Here we are.
Man alive, the world is in a state:
- Wildfires ‘edge closer to Chernobyl nuclear plant’ (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-52274242)
- Trump proclaims himself as having “total authority” (https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/apr/13/trump-us-coronavirus-briefing-latest-media)
- Venezuela’s healthcare system is so broken, hospitals can’t provide childbirth services (https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/10/world/americas/venezuela-pregnancy-birth-death.html)
Help me re-configure. The thing is, in truth, I feel so afraid of this crazed world, I just want to keep my head down. But I can’t, because I run a one-person business. So it’s me, wading through the wilderness, to keep my roof over my head.
Easy, tiger. Easy, now. Gently. Gently. Softly. Quietly. Hold yourself in compassion now. Hold yourself. This is tough. This is a tough moment in history, in so many ways.
I can’t stand it.
What can’t you stand?
The chaos out there. It’s like, every time I open my door on the world, chaos flies in. I want to stay in the ‘retirement’ mode of the last four days. It’s too fractured out there. Too unhinged. Everything is clattering and clashing, in the winds of collective uncertainty, pain and fears. Even the good people are too much for me – colleagues, clients, friends… I’m a cortisol cocktail again, after four days of consciously coming off the stress circuit.
Pinning the furniture to the deck stops it flying around when the ship goes through stormy waters.
Interesting. Yes. It feels like the plant pots and tables are just flying past me at the moment. Like this unforgettable, heart-wrenching footage of the cruise ship with engine failure of last year:
https://twitter.com/RT_com/status/1109960585930854400
Engine failure… Grant me strong engines through these stormy waters, please. And show me how to pin down the furniture.
Drop anchor. Do you remember that work you did, last summer? It was about anchoring, inside yourself.
Yes. Such good work. And so helpful. Anchor me now, please.
As you anchor inside yourself, you will get clear, really clear, with your outside world, about what and who you are. This is what is being invited of all people in this time. Get really, really clear about what and who you are, and what and who you stand for.
For whom I stand?
And for what. 🙂
I stand for the women being knocked about by the macho men. I stand with the women standing up against the men who are fucking this world over. That’s what I’m feeling today. I’ve had it. I’ve finally fucking had it. I’ve had it with these men – and the occasional women sitting in their coat tails – spinning shit. Let’s hold this nonsense to account now. Look at this: (Well done, Paula Reid.)
(https://twitter.com/ndrew_lawrence/status/1249827279812939777):
President Donald J Trump calms a nation on edge pic.twitter.com/HO6Ou1XJzg
— Andrew Lawrence (@ndrew_lawrence) April 13, 2020
And why do we live in a world where people are still aggressing their purported loved ones. What the actual fuck?:
(https://twitter.com/ajplus/status/1249925348650819588):
Domestic violence is reportedly surging around the world as survivors are forced to shelter in place with their abusers.
These are steps you can take if you or someone you know is experiencing abuse: pic.twitter.com/tp9N3f9cnB
— AJ+ (@ajplus) April 14, 2020
Is that outburst ok? I’ve had enough. It’s not about man-hating, it’s hating – and yes, I’m feeling it now – hating this unbalanced, out of control masculine energy.
And. On the other hand:
(https://twitter.com/SophieRunning/status/1249216393251368960)
https://twitter.com/SophieRunning/status/1249216393251368960
(https://twitter.com/jenheemstra/status/1249868520860549131)
“…the empathy and care which all of these female leaders have communicated seems to come from an alternate universe…Who knew leaders could sound like this? Now we do.”
Empathy is a sign of bold leadership, not the opposite of it. We need more of this. https://t.co/0BMZXSCmmx
— Jen Heemstra (@jenheemstra) April 14, 2020
*Deep breath*
Yes. Relief.
And also… Universal Basic Income is being spoken of because of coronavirus, even by the pope this Easter:
(https://twitter.com/newyorkvonni/status/1249390778339799040):
#UBI is about humanity. It’s about creating a safety net for the most vulnerable. My community needs it. America needs it. https://t.co/pzNBEHnvxv
— Chivona Renee Newsome (@newyorkvonni) April 12, 2020
So, dear soul. Where does this conversation bring you to, so far?
Battle lines drawn?
And where really?
The need to focus, focus, focus on that which is emerging for the good.
It sounds like that is how you pin your furniture to the deck? How you fuel your engines?
So, I’m the boat. The ocean is the current reality. The storm is the winds of change. And the engines and pinned furniture are my resolute focus on…?
On what is wanted. What is desired. What gives you a smile, and a sense of relief. It is your principles made manifest. It is you, living according to the world you see possible. It is you, reaching in to yourself, and saying “Fuck that shit. Love this though. That? Nope. This? Yep.” Clarity. It takes for the gut and heart to answer first. Leave the head to catch up on the new news when it’s ready.
Focus, focus, focus on what is emerging for the good. There is a NEW WAY emerging = empathy, care, inner discipline, unity, mutuality, kindness. It’s new. It’s right. It’s timely. It’s timeless. They thought it was for the hippies, and the children, and the innocent. Bullshit. It was the Way, always. It’s just we got seduced by something different. Something more glamorous, something that promised to make us better than the next person, something that celebrated the ‘individual’. The ego’s way. This is not new. Eckhart Tolle has been speaking of this with such clarity for a long time. But now is the time for this new way (Tolle’s New Earth) to go mainstream. This is the gift of this pandemic. This is the pivot: from the pragmatic/profit to the principled. Oh God, help me to absorb this, and live by it.
The New Way of doing business, politics, family life. It’s based on kindness, mutuality, empathy. And that’s it. I can live by that, so help me Goodness.
Focus, focus, focus on what is emerging for the good: The New Way
