Picture Credits – Jeannie Selda
Storms are major reset points. A time to cleanse, a time to have compassion, a time to be present to the ways in which we are all the same, instead of arguing about the differences among us. With Hurricane Ian, we currently have before us yet another opportunity to exercise our ability to choose to be good, do good, and have humanity for another. I have friends who were in the thick of things, lost everything, and will have to re-build. They come from every walk of life.
Politics, points of view and opinion are constructs and frameworks through which to view the world. The heart is not a construct. The heart purifies the view when the heart is the eyes from which we are perceiving. As I went for a bike ride the other day, I saw a calf being born in the middle of a field within five minutes of leaving the house. The cow was cleaning the calf, as it tried to get up and walk. Love is an instinct, foundational to life.
As I turned around, I saw what I imagined to be the edge of the storm, the outermost clouds of hurricane Ian on an otherwise completely clear day. We will likely have some thunderstorms up here in the mountains, but I don’t mind. Isn’t it interesting how the miracle of birth activated my heart? Even storms can catalyze many of our hearts, even for the more stubborn of us who need to be shaken awake.
I remember when I had meningitis and almost died. I woke to find my boyfriend on one side and my former husband on the other, both holding my hands on either side of the bed. So much love coming from both of them. Their disdain for each other had disappeared. Amazing how a crisis has us transcend our differences!
Of course, we could just wake up, without the need for crises. But so far, we are doing so much too slowly for my liking. To my friends in Florida, I know there is help on the way, and I’ll be vigilant for the optimal kinds of help that I can offer.
Are the catalysts big enough yet? I, for one, have been catalyzed to lead for years. What about you?
I’m not interested in differences at all; I am only interested in solutions that work for all.
With love and an open heart,
Jennifer
xoxoxo
