I’ve been going through mind changes about several things lately, including:
home remodeling details,
a support group I’m trying to get started for the doctors where I work,
balancing my needs with other people’s needs,
social media,
prioritizing contentment over happiness,
food choices,
exercise,
masking, and
travel.
I have NOT been going through mind changes about my core values, which include authentic connection with others during the precious time we have together on this earth.
Do you see mind changes in my images for today?
Originally I was going to call this blog post “The Little Things,” but I had a mind change about that.
Here’s what I find on YouTube when I search for “mind changes.”
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Thanks to all who experience mind changes, including YOU!
Yesterday, I mentioned safe enough spaces at the end of my post. I deliberately did not write “safe spaces” because no spaces are completely safe. In every space, we take risks if we expose our vulnerability and humanity. The more we do that, the more we make the space safe enough for others.
I try to make my Coping and Healing groups safe enough spaces, and yesterday people felt safe enough to share conflicting opinions about getting the COVID vaccines. We all survived our differences and people felt safe enough to stay connected with each other.
Later in the day, I felt safe enough to finally make it to the safe enough sand bar I can see from my home (and which I felt safe enough to write about earlier this week in this post).
Many times, I have tried to get to that safe enough sand bar by unsuccessfully trying to locate its starting point across the safe-enough bay. Yesterday, I had the brilliant and long-overdue idea to walk through some water during low tide and access the sand bar from its end point near me.
Instead of telling myself, “WHY DIDN’T YOU THINK OF THIS BEFORE?”, I made my mind a safe enough space by enjoying the experience, moment by moment.
I hope you feel safe enough to accompany me on this adventure through safe enough spaces.
I discovered that I had been SO CLOSE to discovering the beginning point of the sand bar on a previous exploration, but had turned back when I saw that “no trespassing sign, which made the space not safe enough.
If I had felt safe enough to keep exploring past that scary sign (which referred to something else), I would have discovered the beginning of the sand bar months ago. I feel safe enough to share, here and now, that I trust my process and am happy it happened exactly the way it did.
Do you see safe enough spaces in the rest of my images today?
I assume that this is a safe enough space to share that I am Jewish and that I will start celebrating Passover in an unconventional way starting at sundown tonight.
What we have in common, I believe, includes a wish to know what day it is and, perhaps, an appreciation of the Daily Bitch.
Actually, I’m not sure if I have much in common with people who think they have nothing in common with others. I believe that all of us have these in common:
old wounds,
pain,
sadness,
hope,
joy,
disappointment,
regret,
anger,
fear,
anxiety,
worry,
vulnerability,
mistakes,
resilience,
laughter,
tears, and
exhaustion with the pandemic.
I assume that we also have this in common: a favorite comfort food.
I believe we have in common the need for comfort, wherever we can find it.
Yesterday, in what I’ve been calling the home version of my Coping and Healing groups (because everybody there, including me, is participating from their homes), there was a lot going on.
There IS a lot going on, isn’t there? What’s going on where you are?
Is there a lot going on in my other photos from yesterday?
When there’s a lot going on, sometimes we get lost. I hope we all, including Chelsea the cat, find our way.
Here‘s a 1972 performance of “What’s Going On” by Marvin Gaye.
There’s been a lot going on since then, but there’s a lot more to do if we’re to get to where we need to be going.
There’s lot of gratitude going on here for everyone, including YOU.
Yesterday, when I was outside in the fresh air, walking around with my heart of hearts, Michael, I noticed hearts on the doors and windows of our neighborhood.
Michael and I exchanged some heart-felt speculations about what those hearts meant. We both believed, in our hearts, that this display of hearts was related to the coronavirus.
When I saw somebody outside this house with hearts …
… I asked her (from a distance) what the hearts meant. She said, “We have health care workers in the neighborhood, so we are showing solidarity, love, and appreciation for the work they are doing for us during these times.” She also pointed out that people were sharing their hearts with the children in the neighborhood by participating in a social-distanced bear-spotting scavenger hunt. I looked around, and my heart rejoiced to see this:
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I followed my heart to capture other images, which I now send from my heart to yours:
As we enjoyed that heart-healthy meal last night, Michael and I followed our hearts to watch the wonderful movie Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. Here is heart-felt music from the film, composed by Tan Dun and featuring Yo-Yo Ma on cello.
Please follow your heart to the comments section, below.
Every day, I follow my heart here to express my gratitude to YOU.
everything that’s happened to you since the last time I saw you,
how you’re doing in this moment (including thoughts, feelings, and body experience),
everything that you’re aware of that might be contributing to how you’re doing in this moment,
how other people have been affecting you,
how you’ve been affecting other people,
how the weather’s been affecting you,
how the news has been affecting you,
how you would introduce yourself to somebody who is meeting you for the first time, and
what you’re curious about.
If you’re curious about my Coping and Healing groups, I introduce the check-in portion of the group by saying what I’m curious about. What I’m curious about often includes the curious list above. Because I don’t want my curiosity to be too important, I always conclude my list of curiosity with this:
Feel free to ignore everything I just said, because it’s YOUR check-in.
I’m curious about this: even people who have been coming to the group for years often smile at that line.
