Surrendering to the Present

How goes it with your spirit?

This is a question a friend often asks me when we meet. The question is so simple and so beautiful. It goes right to the heart of what I want to know when catching up with someone these days.

So, how goes it with your spirit? Does it feel dark and heavy with worries of Covid-19’s impact? Are your thoughts clouded with fear: What if I get sick? What if I never see my loved ones again? What if the economy doesn’t bounce back?

Or is your spirit light with gratitude for all the amazing blessings in your life? Do you have a profound appreciation for your loved ones’ good health, food on the table and a chance to break from the maddening pace of “normal life?” Do you have hope that somehow, some way we will come out of this prolonged crisis stronger and wiser?

I suspect it’s an AND. I suspect that you, like me and so many others, feel like you’re on a rollercoaster. Some days you feel good; like you are finding your rhythm and truly making it a dance. These days you are enjoying the ride; looking around at the scenery with the wind in your hair. Then there are days when you feel loosely prepared  and tenuously holding on to calm. These are the days that your harness feels a little loose as you click-click-click your way up the steep incline wondering what the heck is next. Finally, there are days that seem to go all wrong; your internet isn’t working, your kids are fighting, and the grocery shelves are barren. These days you feel like you are careening down a precipitous drop at high speeds terrified that it just won’t stop.

This, my friends, is completely normal. Global, municipal, and household dynamics are shifting so suddenly and dramatically, it may feel like the rug is being pulled out from under you. So, what to do to soften the peaks and valleys? How can we bring greater stability to our spirit?

Surrender.

Surrender to the present.

Surrender with faith, stillness and compassion.  

Surrendering to the present means letting go of your dependence on how it used to be. Let go of your expectations of how it’s going to be. Release your old ways that do not currently serve you. Release your fears of what if. Hold the present. Consider what is possible in this moment. Think about what you can do here and now. Decide on what is the next right thing to do.

Have faith and pray. Have faith in your ability not only to survive but also to make the best of a really crappy situation. Have faith that the best next move is exactly what is needed. Pray to whatever power, energy or wisdom that fills you up and guides you. 

Be still. Take advantage of the likely pause in the breakneck pace of your life. Set aside time and space to sit in the stillness. Within the stillness listen to the voice of your Inner Source or Higher Power. Feel the comfort of its presence. 

Be compassionate. Treat yourself and those around you with loving kindness. Seek understanding. These are difficult times unlike anything we have seen in recent history. Acknowledge that we are all struggling; we are all trying to find our footing, and we are all  learning. This is NOT a time for judgment or browbeating! Instead,  it is a time to be gentle, patient and forgiving.

By surrendering to the present, having faith and compassion, and listening to the wisdom in the silence, our spirits will achieve greater buoyancy. As you build the1st next right step onto the 2nd, 3rd and so on, you will find your path forward. Your spirit will become lighter and stronger; more peaceful and hopeful!

May it be so!

So what will you let go of today?

How will you try surrendering to the present today?

What is your next best move?