Spinning
Never ever before in my lifetime have I felt more moved to shout from the mountaintops: love each other fiercely! What is happening in this world? Isn’t there enough suffering already? Don’t we each have enough to carry in our own lives with strainedrelationships, health issues, accidents, addiction, poverty, homelessness, losing loved ones?
Last week I was dealing with some difficult things. My mind was spinning with “what ifs.” The worry and anxiety was overwhelming and I couldn’t seem to quiet it.
Thankfully, I have a regular practice of breath work and meditation. The older I get, the more I rely on it to bring me back to the ground. It’s takes a lot of discipline on my part, but now I can’t imagine living without it.
After meditating, I picked up my notebook and just wrote. I poured out my fears, my questions, my conversations with God and with loved ones and asked the Universe for help. I wrote for almost an hour. When I finally put my pen down, I felt a shift. My worries had somehow been placed somewhere outside of me instead of spinning in my head. It made me cry. I asked for help to release my fears, and through ink and paper, it happened. It’s a powerful exercise!
This morning, I sat down to write this column and felt that spinning again, this time from the constant stream of news. Writer’s block set in. And then I read an article by Nick Polizzi called Staying Centered in a Wild World. He described waking in the middle of the night with a racing mind and finally sitting up to write out all his worries. It helped him settle and fall back asleep.
A sign!
I share this with you because it helped me so much. When the world feels chaotic and your thoughts won’t stop spinning, take pen to paper and let it all spill out.
Keep praying for peace. Love each other with fierce devotion. Don’t let another day go by without telling the people in your life that they matter. Love the strangers you encounter. We are still the majority – those of us trying to be good kind humans, raise our families, work hard, and care for one another. Please don’t lose hope. Love will win.
This morning I was also reminded of something beautiful from the 1980s that I was blessed to be part of: Hands Across America. On May 25, 1986, at 3 p.m. local time, about 6.5 million people joined hands across the country to raise money for hunger and homelessness. Without internet or social media, they formed a human chain stretching from New York to California. We stood there holding hands with strangers and the energy was so beautiful. I’ll never forget it. Maybe we need to do it again – hold one another and let love be louder than fear.
Don’t stop loving each other. Don’t lose hope. It isn’t easy right now. But love must be our driving force.
“Today I make a commitment to be a peacemaker. While I realize I alone will not bring the whole world to a place of peace, my contribution still matters. My love, respect and kindness are powerful as they touch others. Those who feel this love in action may be inspired to offer their own words and acts of kindness and thereby multiply the blessings of peace…. I hold the vision of peace on earth.” – The Daily Word
“Love is like a tea bag: you never know how strong it is until it’s in hot water. Love is more important than ever.” – Nancy Hathaway
Love and gratitude,