Change is upon us! It is happening every moment of every day. On the work meetings that I have each morning, the one thing that is reiterated time and again is to not to get too attached to any decision that we make, because things could change in the next hour or the next day.
Now is the time to be ultra-flexible. And the stronger we are…the more flexible we can become.
A Story
For the last few days, I have been working a little plot of dirt in the back yard. My plan is to turn it into a raised bed. But because I don’t have the lumber or the soil to do it right now, I am tilling the ground adding yummy nutrients as I go. Wielding shovels and wheel barrows and hundred foot garden hoses builds stamina and muscles. The thinking I do and the insights I have while my body engages in repetitive action builds mental fortitude.
Because I dragged the yard chairs out and set them up and god has put on a stunning series of spring days, my boys tend to wander out and plop down for a few minutes here and there. And that’s where things get interesting.
We have some amazing conversations that tell me that this unusual situation has our brains working fast and our minds opening up to new possibilities. We are all trying make sense of the super fast-paced events. We sift through the harrowing cascades of information and mis-information in search of something that resonates. And we process. Nonstop.
Sometimes I have no idea what is running in the background of my mind until I hear myself speak it out loud. Or someone else say the words that have set the backdrop for my daily activities.
Today, that was the case. My son and I were talking about his generation, the twenty-somethings. Many of them have been self-sequestering for much of their lives. Instead of going to multiple shops to assess what they want, zero in on it, buy it and bring it home, they type a few things into their phones, swipe a couple of times, maybe read a few blogs or look at a few videos, swipe a couple more times and something shows up on the porch. While they might go to a gathering or a party here or there, they are just as likely to meet up with their friends online, play games, chat and hang out. They can go to school, do work, do research, entertain themselves and learn new hobbies all from the couch. It’s not like they don’t participate in the ‘real world’. They just selectively engage.
It’s like they came pre-wired for success during global lockdown. And, in my mind, who better to lead us and guide us through these times of immense change? It’s almost like we as a world are transitioning from my idea of normal to their idea of normal.
I have said for years that my kids came in to teach me just as much as I am here to teach them. And this is one of those times. I taught them about how to survive in the world they came in to. Now they are teaching me how to survive in the world we are headed into.
So that’s just a bit of food for thought.
The Point?
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Change is the only thing we can count on.
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To weather this change. We need to get strong.
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Strong is a body/mind cooperation
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Body – Keep moving your body. Not just rote physical exercise that bores the mind and the body, but movement. Walk. Dance. Play. Engage in Manual Labor. Climb ladders, move furniture, create a garden.
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Mind – Open your mind! Talk. Talk. Talk. To the people in your house. To the people on your computer. And more importantly, listen!
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Think about things that others have said. Think about the things you hear yourself say. See how far you can open your mind to other perspectives and ideas.
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Learn. Anytime you try new things, you create new neural pathways and contribute to the neuroplasticity of your brain. So now is the time to learn!
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Remember, the point isn’t to predict the future, it is to pave the way into this future by being ready! By getting strong enough to handle whatever life throws at us.
Happy Strengthening!
My Spiritual Center 