what footprints will you leave on earth…
“When we step out of homes again, after this global reset... what footprints will you leave on earth?”
This question is what I find myself pondering during the quarantine, and I generally come around to two basic ideas:
Having gone through this pandemic on a global scale, we will continue down the road of cohesion. We will look to the future with a newfound positivity for both our lives and the planet we all rely on. I can see huge environmental strides, and finding value in human kindness. The story of how we finally marry our actions with higher values.
The flip-side inevitably sounds like “back to business”, and everyone will be so focused on the economy that we forget the lessons forced isolation brought to the forefront.
Any initiating moment is found in that first leap… from the known to the unknown, and the only option to take. When one surrenders to the journey, the endpoint is unknown. We can guess about our findings along the way; but if we are lucky, we will simply find ourselves where we were always meant to be.
Not too long ago, the #MeToo movement toppled our mechanisms of misogyny, and we began to care how we treat the women in this world. Almost a nod to our civil liberties, and how we have used and abused the system. This was how business was done, and this was deep and dark. The best part of this is the simplicity of how to fix what went wrong. We simply cannot live by two rules for people, one for the wealthy and one for everyone else. We finally stopped turning a blind eye to all the shenanigans; no longer will the shadows be a hiding place for the shady.
I believe that we have taken the magic and mystery out of our lives and placed them up so high that they are unattainable and out of reach. The heavens, the powers that be, the great magic maker, God, the Universe, up in the ether, somewhere we’ve never seen or known. And what happens when we place pure light and ecstasy far from reach? We are left with despair and lack down here on earth. It becomes OK to treat others unkindly and walk past someone in need without a glance… for lack is everywhere and expected.
The #MeToo movement has spread to other areas as well; it has become time to hold ourselves accountable for right behavior… and I’m not necessarily talking about extreme changes or activities, I’m just asking for real honesty with oneself. With all this time spent at home, we realize we are capable of great change. Now we can just sit with oneself, and ponder the future once it finally arrives. How will we walk back out onto this planet and move forward?
I have moments of great joy and positivity… I see us seeing through the political games we have been playing, and I see us demanding change in this arena. This is a time to overprotect but not overreact; to walk boldly into this new life and clean up this planet. Most of us have been cleaning out our closets, dusting off the cobwebs from the rafters, and have been opening to the vulnerability we have been masking with fear; this cloak of darkness has been lifted, and we must continue to see.
Running so fast as we have been can accomplish much, but we must now look at what is essential, because we have too much ‘unessentialness’ in our lives. It is through this process of forced isolation that I have been able to truly ground into my own earthly body, and allow my soul to come into alignment with my connection to the heart of this earth.
We are not only finding ourselves in this quarantine experience of ours but we are seeing the interconnectedness of everything in this world. We are seeing what our true motivations are, what we truly desire and what we need to maintain an essential life. First and foremost, we must heal the planet we live on. If we finally make our decisions based off of “what is best for this planet?” We will no longer find divides in judgement… it is only when we come at something wanting the most for oneself that we find each other at odds. This is worth repeating to let it soak in:
It is only when we come at something wanting
the most for oneself
that we find each other at odds!
How freeing… take a deep inhale… exhale and repeat… because it is freeing. To not live in odds with each other… I can see this, can you imagine? I get a little too romantic when I dream of this awakening, this new Renaissance; a revival of, or renewed interest in something… we have taken new interest in our environment, and how we can easily change the ethers when we come together. No longer can we simply focus on the fulfillment of expectations, but rather continue this moment of enjoying the simple joys of being.
Although I would love to fall into the love of arts and music that a classic renaissance era would bring us after this ‘plague’… I think what we most need is an ENVIRONMENTAL RENAISSANCE!
MY HEART ALWAYS WON OVER PROFIT
CAPITALISM WILL NEVER HEAL THIS WORLD
OUR FEAR, WHATEVER THE GAME
BYE BYE
SMOTHER YOUR FEARS WITH LOVE AND
SHINE THE LIGHT ON YOUR DARKEST SHADOWS
BECAUSE NOW IS OUR TIME
HELLO
“Learning to detach from our possessions allows us to assuage our feelings about the possibility of loss. When we become tight-fisted about our resources, we increase the amount of fear we have about facing potential scarcity. Our efforts go into holding onto something as opposed to appreciating what we have. This idea applies to everything in our lives--no matter what changes in our situation will occur. Understanding this fact makes it easier to see that the ebb and flow of life is simply a natural process, which allows us to enjoy instead of guard the fruits of our labor. By detaching from your idea of permanence today, your concern about loss will gradually disappear and you will find a greater appreciation for all you possess in life. We can cling to this core when things around us are falling apart, knowing that an inexhaustible light shines from within ourselves.” This last paragraph was written by someone I found on the internet, but cannot find who it was, so sorry. I also think it should be repeated many times for all to read;-)
These are the times in our lives when we are offered a mirror to self-reflect, to re-connect, and to dream it up a notch (or five). Surfers know the physical reality of riding a wave; something roller coasters, airplane dips, over-amped elevators, and many other activities offer us to enliven and remind us we are very much stable and predictable in most of our controlled lives.
The maverick wave that turned my life upside down came in the form of stage 3C ovarian cancer; something my doctor thoughtfully claimed was my stress that I carried in my gut, after a year of inquiring over odd symptoms. Thank god for the emergency room, a quick sonogram caught my grapefruit sized tumor within five minutes, then the MRI showed the black octopus that has just reached my lower lungs. Thankfully, the two lesions in my lungs resolved themselves, and six months of chemo banished the octopus and tumor; nothing was found when I had my hysterectomy, and now five years later, I celebrate life without fear again.
What my time in the tumble offered me was the time to slow and reflect; I saw my newfound mindfulness to be a gift, a looking glass into the crazy rabbit hole I had existed in for the previous 25 years. I have been deeply reminded of this time during our covid quarantine; staying inside, wearing a mask if I go out to the market, no restaurants or fun outings, it is all very similar. One difference is how I spend my time, I’m no longing seeking to sooth my soul; during quarantine, I create, and I have been creating a lot.
It is difficult to avoid nature’s presence during this isolation. I believe we have been avoiding Mother Nature’s call to both respect and value her resources, and to honor true inner beauty… we have disrespected the very life-force that both houses and sustains us, both feeds and waters us.
I feel the call of the feminine; now more than ever… and I am taking this time to allow for the nourishment we all need, and are being asked to give one another. Let us all honor Mother Earth herself… during this moment of global listening.
WHEN WE STEP OUT OF OUR HOMES AGAIN...
WHAT FOOTPRINTS DO YOU WISH TO PLACE ON THIS PLANET?