How are you coping with the headlines of the day?
I wake up to the same self-love “routine’ every day.
I turn-on my heart and mind every morning with gratitude.
I am grateful for my first conscious breath … for simply being alive.
I begin my morning by saying thank you to my daughter, my cat, my dog, and everyone around me... often and have my first laugh to meet my goal of laughing 100 times every day. This allows me to insulate my body and mind from the world around me. I use these moments to set my path utilizing the right foot … the “right” mindset to begin my day surrounded by the warmth of my own love. Most days this works like a charm. I take charge of my emotions and practice Ho'oponopono the same way others drink coffee.
And then it happens, the inevitable moment when the world’s headlines being seeping … crashing in. Yanked out of my happy place, my meditation, my laughter - I found myself weeping uncontrollably to the news:
News of a mass bombing at a church in the Philippines leaving 20 human beings dead and many more wounded.
News of suicide attack in Pulwama district - 40 Indian paramilitary police dead.
News of the mass shooting at a mosque in New Zealand. 49 people dead,
... hatred for nothing, violence for nothing … it is all too much.
The murders overtake my soul and give way to a me I barely recognize from the moments before. No matter how I try to push forward I simply cannot. I go through those days feeling devastated for the families who lost their loved ones due to another human being’s incomprehensible acts of violence. I literally can’t focus, cannot get anything done. I, like so many, feel helpless, angry and sad. I finally realize I have to let the day go. I let the feelings wash over me. I acknowledged and accepted how I am feeling; I let the sadness wash over me like an old and unexpected friend because no part of ourself is an enemy, liberating myself through the release of the KAUR process.
In a word filled with love and hate, beauty and ugliness we all must find our way. We no longer live in a world where we can simply switch the channel. Depression and anxiety are on the rise because we don’t have any real insulation from the world that used to wait outside our door … no matter how we try to insulate news like what happened in the Philippines l, India, and New Zealand finds their way in, and should. To focus only on the positive means we are not acknowledging those in pain. If we all focused on what’s good in the world there would be no activists making life better, protecting the innocent and giving us the contrast of how very fortunate we are. We all need positive and negative to exist the same way a car battery needs positive and negative to start. Having one without the other is like having light without the dark. We sleep and recharge in the dark and wake to the brilliance of light.
That is balance … simple … beautiful balance.
So how do we keep our balance? How do we protect our souls and do good in the world at the same time? How do we not fall into a lasting negative space? I do not have all the answers. I do however have a couple of ways that work for me. I share them with you, my dear sexy brilliant community because we are all in this together.
1. Accept what we cannot change and do something about what we can. I cannot change what happened in the Philippines, India, and New Zealand. I cannot undo the hate felt by the perpetrators. I can continue to share messages of love, acceptance, and inclusion for all.
2. Practice gratitude. Anyone of us could be a victim of senseless violence. Each day is truly a gift.
3. GIVE. Give love, time, and simple kindness to everyone around you.
I choose to forgive, not forget, but forgiveness allows me to be free, and most importantly I choose #TeamLove
