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what a time this is in our lives.
what a season...
it helps me to think of it as a season and not as a new "normal". nothing about what we are currently are experiencing is normal.
I am under no illusion that when we are released from our confinement that all things will be as they once were prior to COVID-19.
at the same moment, I also choose to keep hope alive that we will be able to return to hugging our friends, exchanging physical affection with those we love, and once again make friends with people who were at one time strangers to us.
we were created to connect.
this fact has not changed nor will it ever do so.
I am so deeply encouraged by how we are finding hope in the midst of such tragedy, instinctively choosing to create joyful endeavours to share with one another.
perfect example: old school hip hop might not be everyone's cup of tea, but I will tell you that dj nice's instagram live stream spin every day is such a shot of joy for me. a big thanks to my brother chad for his lessons in soul and hip hop early in my life which will forever make me dance and smile.
I see people posting amazing videos of uplifting stories and finding ways to raise money for charities to take care of one another. and thank you, john krasinski for some good news.
this week during my la classe de français, when talking about what sort of music we liked, I described one of my favourite songwriters as soulful. jean-paul explained that the closest word in french to soulful is "spirituel".
this translation made an impression on me.
one author I enjoy likes to say...
"everything is spiritual."
I agree with him. absolutely.
yes. music, art, dance, nature, theatre, writing, conversation, service...all of these endeavours hold spirituality, require creativity, and demonstrate people sharing pieces of their (our) souls.
those of us who create, otherwise known as ALL human beings, put our hearts and souls into fashioning our respective pièces de résistance which are so uniquely our own. when we engage and invest ourselves with something or someone, we share our essence, our spirits.
we are certainly being reminded right now that the human spirit is strong.
those of us who create, otherwise known as ALL human beings, put our hearts and souls into fashioning our respective pièces de résistance which are so uniquely our own. when we engage and invest ourselves with something or someone, we share our essence, our spirits.
we are certainly being reminded right now that the human spirit is strong.
c'est spirituel. (it is spiritual.)
this weekend was one that is considered sacred to many. even my friends who do not necessarily celebrate Easter or Passover, spent time with friends and family sharing a meal and communing, whether in person or in a virtual way. it is usually a time for gathering and hope.
in the service I like to attend, we have a time of "passing the peace" with the people sitting near to each other. we shake hands with those we do not know and exchange hugs or kisses with those we love.
we say "peace be with you." to one another.
it is a lovely time of connection that I confess, growing up, I dreaded. why would I make a physical connection of any kind with that stranger sitting next to me?
I have long since left this disdain behind and I thought of this lovely gesture of quick human touch and wishing of calm in the midst of whatever personal storms might be present especially this weekend, as we are now told it is not best to be near one another.
I am adhering to this strong suggestion certainly as I see its benefit in prevention, of course.
I suppose I needed to just acknowledge this feeling of loss.
I believe we need to keep connecting no matter what challenges we are facing.
a few things I am giving a go...
write letters to your favourite people.
read books you normally don't take the time to take off the shelves.
create playlists for friends with songs they might like.
work on that language you might have always wanted to learn.
make short video messages to send to your friends. (this was more fun than I expected it to be. and it usually took a good deal of time because I had to do multiple takes due to the incessant laughing at myself.)
I am remembering that I can always choose hope whether I am sitting next to someone or am more physically distant which is easier some days than others.
c'est spirituel.
so perhaps even the melancholy days hold lessons and goodness within...much like a rainy day brings growth when working in conjunction with sun-drenched days.
I often can appreciate light and levity more in reflection of the clouds.
life happens in seasons whether we are surprised by them or see them arriving in a timely fashion.
every meeting or interaction can be seen as spiritual, soulful, and significant.
on some days, we might need to choose to look a bit deeper for that meaning right now.
(p.s. it is possible this post was just for me to read back to myself. haha.)
may we keep choosing hope and passing peace to one another,
as we are all in this together. :)
cheers,
kb.
in the service I like to attend, we have a time of "passing the peace" with the people sitting near to each other. we shake hands with those we do not know and exchange hugs or kisses with those we love.
we say "peace be with you." to one another.
it is a lovely time of connection that I confess, growing up, I dreaded. why would I make a physical connection of any kind with that stranger sitting next to me?
I have long since left this disdain behind and I thought of this lovely gesture of quick human touch and wishing of calm in the midst of whatever personal storms might be present especially this weekend, as we are now told it is not best to be near one another.
I am adhering to this strong suggestion certainly as I see its benefit in prevention, of course.
I suppose I needed to just acknowledge this feeling of loss.
I believe we need to keep connecting no matter what challenges we are facing.
a few things I am giving a go...
write letters to your favourite people.
read books you normally don't take the time to take off the shelves.
create playlists for friends with songs they might like.
work on that language you might have always wanted to learn.
make short video messages to send to your friends. (this was more fun than I expected it to be. and it usually took a good deal of time because I had to do multiple takes due to the incessant laughing at myself.)
I am remembering that I can always choose hope whether I am sitting next to someone or am more physically distant which is easier some days than others.
c'est spirituel.
so perhaps even the melancholy days hold lessons and goodness within...much like a rainy day brings growth when working in conjunction with sun-drenched days.
I often can appreciate light and levity more in reflection of the clouds.
life happens in seasons whether we are surprised by them or see them arriving in a timely fashion.
every meeting or interaction can be seen as spiritual, soulful, and significant.
on some days, we might need to choose to look a bit deeper for that meaning right now.
(p.s. it is possible this post was just for me to read back to myself. haha.)
may we keep choosing hope and passing peace to one another,
as we are all in this together. :)
cheers,
kb.
