Butterflies, Birds, Blooms, and Bugs

Today I am grateful for meditation practices I am giving a try, and for being able to feel grounded and stable, at least some of the time, in the middle of much uncertainty.

This uncertainty, primarily brought on by the covid-19 pandemic and all that continues to evolve in recent months, is not a comfortable place. It is also a place that cannot be avoided. To avoid it is to deny reality, to bury painful emotions, to seek solace in unhealthy ways. 

Any hope to feel grounded and stable on a regular basis does require presence though. Continuing to lament the losses and disappointments that have already happened would only have me stuck in yesterday. Worrying and fretting about all the what ifs and potential difficulties would have me ahead of myself in tomorrow.

To stay in today is a practice, and not always an easy one. I practiced it yesterday morning as Darcy and I took a nice bike ride on one of our favorite stretches of local trail. I tuned in more fully to our surroundings; noticing more butterflies among the blooming flowers, hearing more varied birdsong. Feeling more connected to nature. Nature grounds me. Tune in to it more deeply Lisa and the stability and faith it provides will be sustainable. 

I ended my day with a solo walk to a wooded area of trail. That is where the bugs came in. Near dusk on a summer evening, yards away from a river, the bugs were out in full force. They have their place and purpose too. Just like all of the unknowns, all of the annoyances and inconveniences we have had to face since March. 

They too are here to guide and teach. We didn't ask to be students of a pandemic, but here we are. We can suit up and show up for the day ahead, or we can deny and grouse. Either way, the minutes and hours will pass.