A time to reflect and build discerningly …..
As the Lockdown “eases” apart from the pubs, restaurants, travel and entertainment venues, it feels eased to me; the traffic noise, and “back to normal” activity beyond the boundary of my property is in full swing!
But is isn’t normal is it? For many of us we are still in limbo with much of the work we used to do out of reach. And that is ok for me, as long as we keep moving forwards. The thought of stepping back into our old patterns worries me more. The desire to remember and nurture the change of perspective, that has and is being experienced across the globe during this pandemic, is a unifying piece. In the early weeks of lockdown people were sharing their delight in the birds singing more loudly than they had remembered. The glorious spring, bringing the flowers and colour we had time to stop and wonder at. The generosity of spirit shown by so many, looking out for the vulnerable in their communities. The innovation and speed with which some relief ideas sprang into being (Meals for the NHS as a prime example) established and expanded within unprecedented timeframes, fuelled by goodwill. The reaching out to friends, colleagues and clients via our new virtual meeting rooms, somewhat clinical initially but we are learning, and have come so far in finding ways to personalise and deepen those experiences, to provide nourishment from a distance.
As the world moves into this new normal, I am taking time to bank some of these treasures. I believe they hold seeds for personal and organisational growth. The simplest of things make the biggest difference sometimes. Our first 5 minutes of each day establishes a mindset and emotional frame for the remainder of the day, how well do we use that? We teach that the end of any speech or presentation should arrive at a tangible conclusion and generate action, but do we sum up each of our days with the same diligence? I am as guilty as the next person of rushing, then experiencing irritation or frustration, of spinning too many plates at any one time …
I wonder if people will continue to walk as much as they have done. Walking is said to balance both sides of the brain as well as integrating us into nature for us to appreciate her more. Those who have taken to cycling, will they hold onto the feelings of wellness, the strangely satisfying ache of muscles well used? The excitement of seeing family, friends and colleagues in the flesh. Can we stay in that place of appreciation more than we did before? And if we do what will that bring?
I’m not saying I have the answers, and nor should any of us. The wonder of this journey is in the discovery of things and experiences; of including each one to allow us to be a little bigger and maybe better, with each step we take on this treasure hunt. My wish is only that we continue to look for those discoveries as avidly as we did when it all changed so suddenly; and not slip into the old habits that are so very familiar and comfortable. My desire to write this and send it public is simply to encourage you to keep walking forward with this paradigm of discovery, of appreciation and a desire to bring goodness to all that you do and everyone you meet. That alone, in it’s simplicity, will build a future where all beings thrive.
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