Riding The Summer Waves

As COVID numbers increase again around the country, debates about re-opening and re-closing resurface into every city and town, and social media seems to continue to get nastier, we've been struck by how many people have mentioned to us that they've been hit with another wave of anxiousness, fatigue, and malaise. For some folks, it seems like the spring blahs, which were briefly cured by the start of warmer weather, have transitioned into the summer doldrums.

We don't claim to have all the answers, but one thing we've noticed is that our thinking can play tricks on us. We can think that we're learning to be present, slow down, and take the world as it comes to us – only to find out that we get thrown off by the latest unexpected news. In other words, we think we're meeting the world without expectation, only to find out we did have expectations after all: numbers will go down in the summer; schools will reopen without a hitch; things will go back to normal.

If we're all living through one lesson this year, it's that "normal" actually means a state of evolution, flux, change, and yes, disruption. Even still waters move and shift. When we look outside ourselves for normal — when we seek stability from the external — we run the risk of being thrown off balance with every shift. We inadvertently misplace our power, and end up being tossed around like a bobber in the ocean with no anchor. 

It's not always easy to do, but you can be your own anchor. The stability, truth, and wisdom you yearn for lies within you. This doesn't mean having no concern for what happens around you — it means knowing that whatever happens, you're going okay. Each week you can go deeper into an exploration of who you really are and who choose to be. 

Have you ever stood on the shore and tried to stand up to the summer waves breaking on the beach? The waves will win. You'll get pushed down. But if you turn and launch your body with the current, the water will take you all the way to the shore — and just maybe you'll have fun on the way in. 

Wishing you presence and peace, and the ability to let yourself slow down, turn with the waves, and do your best to enjoy the ride.