The New Year is well underway and we thought, a couple of weeks into 2021, the theme of restoration and renewal might be a beautiful topic to explore, recorded on the Winter Solstice (in the Northern Hemisphere). The Winter Solstice is a time to pause and look up, away from our day to day concerns and allow hope and optimism to bubble up. The human spirit is a remarkable thing. We can admire what's possible and get curious about what renewal and restoration could mean. What are the seeds? What is possible? This year could take us into despair or numbing ourselves, tuning out, feeling overwhelmed by the bigness of the challenges we face collectively.
Here's what we explored:
is the New Year a time for something other than personal goals and resolutions?
recognizing the gift of presence: to ourselves, our clients, and our losses
when we are present, time and space fall away
in presence we find renewal and then we return to the fray of life, again and again
being present to our experience, whatever that is, including grief
in presence, we find openness and tenderness,
we don't have to fix or control, there is a sense of relief
in presence, we find the wisdom to know what's next
leaders can create a culture where it's okay to grieve, to have ebbs and flows in productivity, to embrace our humanity
the push to produce more and more is not replicated in nature
clocks and timetables are useful for very specific purposes eg making appointments but so much in life happens independent of clocks
the only thing that makes something good or bad, valuable or not, is our judgment, made of thought
being present gives us more access to common sense which guides us beautifully
grief and gratitude are two sides of one coin. When you make space for the loss, you also make space for the gratitude
we often want to fix bad feelings, get through them quickly, but if we can pause and honor what is, there is a richness available
when old griefs come back around, maybe they are coming up for air, for healing
when we get really lost in our painful stories about ourselves, others, the past, and the future, we suffer
to really see how human beings create stories all the time and our stories are ever-changing is a huge insight
when we recognize the illusory nature of our stories, we get to hold them more lightly, let them flow through us
not using 'getting present' as a way to avoid our feelings or bypass them
presence and tenderness are so healing
by honoring the experience you are in right now, you are honoring Life
we are built to experience Life coming through us
what occurs to you around renewal and restoration?
Quotes and References
'The Reith Lectures, Dr Mark Carney, How We Get What We Value - transcript