Times are tumultuous. It’s hard to find a safe and calm haven in the midst of all the changes and challenges. There are so many. I want to offer a couple of thoughts on how to create and manage one’s own safe harbor.
Earlier today, listening to the radio program On Being, a guest reflected that life is “fluid” not static or set. This made me think of the saying, “the only constant is change.” Most of the time this perspective seems daunting. Is instability all we can expect? Is there nothing we can count on?
But there is another side to this. The speaker was suggesting that the fluidity of life is good. Put another way, there is always possibility, even when things seem dark and bleak. The natural world around us reflects this fluidity in the passage of time and the changing seasons. These are not threatening or negative realities. We accept them as simply the way things are. And how often have we thought that something was a done deal only to find that no, it wasn’t and there was more to unfold. This can be positive!
Nonetheless, it is helpful to have a compass as the world transforms and moves around us. Several years ago, I learned a simple, brief exercise to begin of each day. Sadly, I can’t remember the author for this exercise, or I would acknowledge them.
When I wake, I first think of three things I am thankful for. These don’t have to be big. Maybe the sun is shining, or I will see a friend that day. And second, I think of three things I will do during the day that will give the day meaning and value for me and others. Again, these don’t have to be huge events. I will babysit my granddaughter. I will call a friend I haven’t talked with for a long time. I will facilitate an important meeting.
With this focus, the day can flow. Perhaps anyone of those tasks will change and that’s okay. The desire to create meaning and value in the day can remain and flex, too. My meaning and purpose compass remains fixed in spite of the tides of change.