A Smorgasbord of Thoughts and Ideas for this Time
It has been two weeks since I wrote my last blog. So much has happened in those two weeks. Justifiably, our country has been in turmoil. And my mind has been also, ricocheting from anger, to grief, to consternation and then back again. During this same time, I have also noticed many new or rediscovered ideas and concepts emerging. I don’t think this is by chance. I believe that in any chaotic moment, new or now timely ideas and knowledge appear. In this blog, because my mind is still roiling and mulling, I will not reflect on one idea or issue. Instead I will share some of the ideas and concepts I have noticed during the past two weeks. Immigration. I heard an interview with the science journalist Sonia Shah. In her new book “The Next Great Migration: The Beauty and Terror of Life on the Move,” she explains that…
Let Go of a New Normal
A ‘new normal’, I hear that phrase a lot these days, “it will be so good when we get to a new normal.” I’m not sure what people mean when they say this. I think they mean feeling that life has become predictable and secure again. We can count on football or baseball games, having friends over, going shopping, attending a religious service, the workload at the office, kids in school, going out to dinner and a concert, and so on and on. Or, things will be more like they were before. And the before and after are quite clear, before COVID, and since COVID. A colleague warned several of us about this term, new normal. She claims that people slide over the word new and what that implies, and settle on the meaning of normal, the familiar, or how things used to be. She suggests that we should talk…
How to Humbly Start a Hope-filled Chain Reaction
The expression “at least do no harm” is circulating. I have heard several commentators state this. And it makes sense right now. How can I protect my community? At least, don’t put someone else’s health in jeopardy through my actions. At least don’t take the last few rolls of toilet paper, or parcels of chicken, but leave some for others. As a corollary, I have also heard that we should act as if we are contagious and make our way in the world with that in mind. In other words, we take care of each other as we take care of ourselves. This is all good and necessary, but it’s a barebones stance. It’s the least we can do. Some may be able to do only this level of care. I imagine that those in extreme distress, financial or medical for example, could understandably only muster such a response. Many…
Thoughts on Cocreating Our Future
While I was in a virtual meeting last week, one of the participants offered this wisdom, don’t use the word ‘normal’, going back or returning to ‘normal.’ It’s not helpful to think that way. We are going through too much disruption and change for an unknown length of time to expect a return to ‘the way things were.’ At this point, in the midst of the present drama, it is impossible to know the contours of the world that lies ahead when the pandemic has released its grip on us. However, there are already stirrings and efforts to reopen some businesses and relax stringent stay-at-home restrictions in some places. The same person who suggested that it is helpful not to think of going back to the way things were also said, we have to ‘cocreate our future.’ What does that mean? As I usually do, I looked for definitions of…
Understanding How We Can Support Each Other as We Quarantine
In my last blog I wrote about the irony that COVID 19 attacks us “where we are most vulnerable and most powerful,” our social connectivity. We need to quarantine and keep distance from others to stay safe from infection, and to protect others from infection. And we yearn for connection to our family, loved ones, and friends. This behavior feels unnatural, and it is! I recently watched a blog that explained why this is so, and some ways to manage this challenge. Our neurological underpinnings support our awareness of safety and comfort, or danger and stress. For a species that needs connectivity, awareness of safety or danger around us is critical. Stephen Porges developed ‘polyvagal theory’ to explain the interconnections among bodily sensations and responses like heart rate, breathing rate, and digestive sensations to our awareness of comfort, safety, stress, and fear. Porges explains that the vagus nerve running from…
Some Thoughts that I hope are Helpful in the Middle of this Storm
Still so much information and change are swirling these days. Everyone I know is either working like crazy or going stir-crazy because they are home hunkering down. And there is also much fear and anxiety because of general uncertainty, and understandable concern about health issues and financial well-being. How long will this continue? Will I and my loved ones be okay? Will I have a job, an income? What will the future look like? So much that no one knows. By now everyone has come across suggestions for staying healthy and sane. I probably don’t need to state them, but I will. Can’t hurt to be reminded. Physical Health. Stay sheltered unless you need to go out for food, medicine, etc. Wash your hands, repeatedly! New habit, scrub with soap for 20 seconds before rinsing. Or use hand sanitizer, repeatedly! Eat healthfully, exercise, get enough rest. Psychological Health. Stay connected…
Living Now with COVID 19 around Us
I usually post a blog every other Monday. Yesterday I was due to post. I did not. My mind was reeling with multiple thoughts and feelings swirling around. And I had no idea how to craft any or all of that swirl into a cogent, logical statement. On February 28th I traveled to Pennsylvania to visit family for a week or two. My visit did extend to sixteen days. I stayed in a local hotel and visited family during the day. The purpose of the trip was to assist my family members. When I traveled to Pennsylvania, COVID 19 was a foreign phenomenon with the exception of a couple of cases in Washington State and on a quarantined cruise ship somewhere on the west coast. While there was a sense of concern in the air as evidenced by the news reports, life seemed to be continuing as usual where I…
What does it mean to be open-minded?
When I reflect on many of the blogs I have written, a lot of them depend on a first step, to be open-minded. That state is the necessary and often unacknowledged and unspoken, at least by me, initial starting point of any shift in perception and change. What is open-mindedness anyway? Here are two definitions I found. At is “a willingness to try new things or to hear and consider new ideas. An example of an open minded (sic) person is one who listens to her opponent in a debate to see if the information makes sense or if she can change her mind.” The other definition is similar, “the quality of being willing to considerideas and opinions that are new or different to your own” (https://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/dictionary/english/open-mindedness) Is it a good thing to be open-minded? I believe that it is. I don’t know how anyone can continue to grow or change without having that frame of mind. I did see a suggestion…
My Discovery of an Energy Shifting Technique
While talking with someone about an upcoming meeting, I was able to verbalize and then clearly ‘see’ a technique I recently discovered. First, some context. The meeting was important to me because this was a new professional connection and I wanted to make a good impression. Further, I believed that some good contacts, even some referrals might evolve from this new relationship. As I talked with my colleague, I realized that I was feeling anxious about this meeting. I don’t know about you, but I don’t like feeling anxious. And I know from experience that anxiety is not conducive to creating a relaxed, trusting atmosphere between two people. In fact, it fosters the opposite, tension and discomfort for all concerned. So, I wondered how to prepare, knowing that I didn’t want to carry any anxiety with me into this meeting. What to do? This is when this new technique appeared.…
Some New Insights on Very Old Teachings
A word of warning, I will touch on what some might experience as a religious topic in this blog. But I do not think that the topic falls into the purview of any particular faith, even though I begin with references to Christian teachings. I believe the insights I learned apply to us all. Nonetheless, be forewarned. I heard a sermon on the Beatitudes yesterday (meaning supreme blessedness). During the sermon the pastor gave us three versions of them, some traditional, some presented in current language and situations. Interestingly, she pointed out that the Beatitudes are the equivalent of the Ten Commandments in the Hebrew Bible, or what used to be titled the Old Testament. The Beatitudes are found in the New Testament which focuses on the teachings of Jesus. In contrast, the ten commandments tell us what not to do and the beatitudes inform us that in weakness and…