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[I’m not quite at a once-weekly post, but I’m at least a little more frequent.] I have been spending a lot of time thinking about the gifts of Covid19. Yes, gifts. I’m not being sarcastic. This huge pain in the ass has taught me a lot, and I am guessing you have learned something too. Firstly, could there possibly be any more evidence that we are one? We are one human organism, all inhabiting the same planet, all breathing the same air. I hear so many people say, “I’m so over it,” especially in regard to the pandemic. So am I. But we are unfortunately still under it. My friend Judith in my Buddhist Women’s Group says that to understand is to stand under something. When we are truly over something, it is behind us. Yet, when we say that we are “over” something, it means that we are tired. We are all over Covid. We are all over political division and the ugliness that has swallowed up this country. But are we under it? Clearly, there is more to process here. More to under-stand. Some of the good things that came out of Covid for me I have already written of: Tom got a new band (now called “Replay”) and, partly through this band, we came to know and love our neighbors in a way we hadn’t over the previous twenty years; I got in shape and learned to cook; I got deeper into my spirituality; I formed A Course In Miracles group which has become exceedingly meaningful to me; I am nearly finished with a new collection of poetry about my volunteer work at the Wildlife Rescue Center (the work of which has been like meditation for me during these hard times). I’m building a new page on this site that will focus more on my Sylvia Plath scholarship. The tarot gang may or may not be interested! I have been getting signs to get it out and done, and this very afternoon one of my Facebook friends sent me this picture: he spotted a rare copy of my first book at Half Price Books in Chesterfield (thanks for letting me know, Jim)! Anyone interested in this book should send me an email. I sell the PDF for just $5.  A copy of my first book, Fixed Stars Govern a Life: Decoding Sylvia Plath (2014, Stephen F. Austin State University Press) In working with my clients and talking to friends, I have seen some thrive and others completely crumble. We are finding strength we never knew we had and we are growing. It is now that we understand that relationship is the most meaningful of experiences.
If you’re having trouble, I recommend being around other high-vibe people who can lift you and not wear you out even more. Meditation and/or prayer keep you centered and balanced. Physical exercise rids of you stress fast. Gratitude is a great reminder that it’s not all bad (and remember: what we put our minds on grows!). Forgiveness, which is not for the one you’re forgiving so much as it is for you. Who wants to carry a load of anger like that? I think that the lost art of listening to others deeply, asking them questions about their dreams and lives (and taking the time to hear it) helps us in our own aloneness and our understanding of others. Plus, listening well just makes us better human beings. Finally, let’s be intentional about life. Don’t just sit around waiting for life to happen to you. Or worse, don’t hide in fear and not live at all. What would you really be saving? A Course In Miracles teaches that our whole reason for being here is to understand and experience Relationship in all its forms. Let’s do it. Covid19 is the obvious, inescapable oneness of humanity, divided or not. I’m under it. Or getting there. COPING MECHANISMS, COVID, COVID19, GIFTS OF COVID, ONENESS, OVER IT, PANDEMIC, RELATIONSHIP, SPIRITUAL LESSONS FROM COVID, SPIRITUALITY, SYLVIA PLATH, UNDERSTANDING
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