And the day came when the world slowed and started to remember the good things, like how much we need and care for each other, how the simple things matter most, how we need less than we think, and how a good book can see us through all manner of things.
I have seen a lot of people posting about ‘these uncertain times’. But let’s remember that times are always uncertain. Us twenty-first century humans tend to construct our lives to give a sense of permanence, forgetting how fragile everything really is. I can’t help feeling it would be a whole lot better for our collective mental health if we took a moment to remember that everything is changing all the time.
The impermanence of things is a fundamental law of nature. Things come and they go. Whatever things are like at the moment, they won’t always be like that. They won’t ‘always’ be like anything. There is ebb and flow in the river of life.
If you are finding yourself all at sea with the not knowing, this is for you:
Acceptance is alignment with the truth of the present moment. In this present moment, what is true about your life? You are holding your phone, or sat at your computer, reading this. Perhaps you are drinking a cup of your favourite tea, or you keep getting distracted by a fly buzzing around the room.
Maybe your window is open and you can hear cars going past. Or the sun is casting shadows across your desk as you try to get used to working from home. Or you are washing your hands for the twentieth time today. Perhaps you are at the hairdresser’s, getting ready for a special night out, or perhaps you just phoned to cancel your appointment because the night out isn’t happening now. Perhaps you have stumbled upon this post just after an inspiring conversation, or a big argument, or some surprising news.
Maybe you are reading this on the bus, with half an eye on someone coughing a couple of feet away. Or maybe you are in your kitchen with a sudden urge to nourish your family with organic food, watching the oven to see if your homemade pie is cooked.I wonder if you are hot, or cold or just right?
If you can smell cooking, or the garden or the impending rain. Do you have music playing? Is the clock ticking? Are you soaking in the bath listening to the sound of your own breathing?
Take a moment to think about the facts of your life in this exact moment. This moment is the one you are living right now. You cannot extend it for ever. At some point the pie will be done, the bathwater will go cold, the night will close in.
Accepting that we cannot hold on to or control the status quo is a powerful teaching from wabi sabi, reminding us to treasure the good we have right now, and know that the bad will pass.
Any time you feel stressed or worried, upset, lost or lonely, anchor yourself in the facts of now. Notice what’s going on in your body, and what’s going on around you. Feel what you are feeling. Know that this is just a moment, and soon it will give way to another.
Any time you are feeling overwhelmed, try to accept that what is possible in the present is limited. You can only do what you can do. This is not a shutting off of possibilities, but rather a recognition of your own capacity, so you can stop expecting impossible things of yourself and give yourself a break.
Any time you recognize a moment of true joy, soak it all up. Anchor yourself to the sights, sounds and smells of right there and then, so they can transform into a precious memory when the moment has passed, which it will.
Take good care. It’s going to be OK,
Beth Xx
