It’s been a week since I posted about staying present, staying in the moment. I have been (mostly) successful this week. I have moved a little slower, taken stock, and spent time thinking, planning and visualizing for the future. I actually took a nap on Sunday. For those of you that know me on a personal level, you know I’m taking this seriously. I never nap. But I did and it was kind of great.
I did some other things too.
I hand-painted a birthday card for a friend.
I stirred up homemade hand sanitizer spray and gave bottles to a few of my loved ones.
I made a big batch of bone broth in my slow cooker.
But I also thought a lot about what the coronavirus is going to mean for businesses and families in the United States. I thought about what it is going to mean for mine.
After a few moments of this I was suddenly deep in the abyss of worry about the potential economic fallout.
It was right then that I happened upon this Facebook post by Dan Rather. It stopped me right in my tracks. My eyes leaked a little. Steady, he urged. Steady.
This is the word my mind has been searching to find. It’s what I want to be. It’s what I want my business to be. It’s what I want my family, my community and my country to be. It’s what I want the Earth and her entire living population to be.
Steady.
This too will pass. We know we will get through this. The sun will come up tomorrow and the moon will rise tonight. There is a constancy and steadiness to the universe’s patterns that I find comforting in times of chaos. And this is most certainly chaos.
But what can we all do this week to stay steady?
Rest.
Check in with our friends and family — a quick text or call to just say hi and make sure everyone is doing okay.
Do something creative — write a poem, paint something, whip up a delicious dish in your kitchen, putter in your garden or plant some herbs for your window sill.
Prepare and eat nourishing, nutrition-dense food — our immune systems live in our gut so working with our bodies to encourage wellness is easier than recovering from being sick.
Turn off the news and be selective about the diet of updates we consume — the panic and hive-mind mentality out there right now is like a punishment to our already compromised hearts and minds. The kindest thing we can do for ourselves is step away from that frenzied experience and look inside ourselves, where truth and peace resides.
Go outside and get some fresh air and sunshine. The words quarantine and isolation sound like a prison-sentence to stay only indoors. Don’t! Go outside and breathe. Nature helps us heal and keeps us steady.
My sanctuary has been an invaluable steadying force during these strange days. It has welcomed me home at the end of the day with open arms. It has comforted me as I paced through it on the phone, strategizing with my team about our next initiatives. It has glowed with candlelit warmth as I enjoyed a glass of wine with my husband Philip. It has given me a place to rest and think and write. It has helped me find steadiness.
Inspiration has been whispering in my ear this morning. I am feeling called to launch a special Facebook group to help my members create their own sanctuary so we can all thrive and flourish through the days of the coronavirus and whatever it brings. What do you think? Would that be helpful? I figure it’s the next best thing to inviting me over to create an environment just for you. And with perfect serendipity it allows for the appropriate social distancing.
Love to hear how you are coping and what can help steady you during this challenging time.
With love and gratitude,
Lisa
Lovely post dear one! Your message is timely and relevant… it’s time for the Facebook group! XO
Thank you Gail! Means a lot coming from you. <3
What a wonderful post to read to not just start my day–but to do it with a little more calm and little steadier. Thanks, Lisa!
Thanks Nancy. Love you.
As always you give us all inspiration. These last 2 days my husband and youngest son have been remodeling our lanai…now sanctuary. We are starting an herb garden, added some cherry tomatoes and sweet peppers. I am hanging a wrought iron chandelier given to me by a dear friend that passed many years ago.
I now walk into my sanctuary and breathe, the light, love and power of our universe.
I would look forward to your facebook group.
Namaste
Sue what a wonderful visual you laid out for me to see. So lovely — the light, love and power of our universe indeed. Much love to you. An invite will be coming your way. So glad you will join us. xo
Lisa
I have not written to you before today. Thank you. Thank you for your ongoing… mindfulness.
It is positive and calming to read . I am taking time to spend outdoors, to read, to walk, to notice the clarity of the small steam that flows along my yard, to appreciate what I have – the sanctuary created in my reading space ( I love Benjamin Moore matte finish paint!) and ironing. No kidding!! I can make shirts transform from wrinkled to smooth with my own hands. It is just something I can control when the rest of life feels out of control. Stay well. Again, thank you. Mary Jane
Hello Mary Jane! I love the mindful touch of transforming wrinkled fabric to smooth. Satisfying indeed. I get a similar satisfaction from sweeping my floors. Your stream sounds lovely. Enjoy every minute. Hugs to you.
Lisa,
Thank you for being here for us to share your gifts. When asked to stay in my home I must say that a part of my personality emerged that had been neglected most of my adult life. The happy introvert. I worked as a nurse for 4o years and tucked this part of me away. But in the past few weeks,given an abundance of “free time”, she has emerged. Golden empty open silence bathes my home. I can hear the birds, the wind and the distant laughter of my neighbors children. My piano has been dusted off and its commercial free music plays each morning. That long letter to a distant friend is beautifully completed. My home is coming alive with touches of beauty I now have time to create. I nap. I actually finish reading a book. I call to check on a neighbor and our conversation goes on unchecked by the need to hang up to go, to do, to hear.
I realize now that a huge gift comes to us in this trying, difficult moment. We have been given the gift of time. A freedom that rarely offers itself in our fast and furious world.By staying in our homes, we are also giving this gift of time back to our neighbors, our families. Preventing the spread of this virus is the best gift of time we can give. A “retired” hospice nurse.
“My home is coming alive” — I can’t tell you how much I adore these words! Thank you Linda for sharing your personal experience. Many of us are experiencing this same thing and feeling a tiny bit…dare I say it, better? There is much suffering and much chaos in the world right now. But in our homes, in our sanctuaries, we can get back to the business of tending our souls. Wishing you every joy and happiness. xo
Thank you. Your words are beautiful always and are inspiration in this uncertain time. I’ve learned that during moments in our luves when we cannot find beauty it is because we are being called to create it. ♡