Are We Ever Really Ready?
The solstice, the beginning of winter, the new year - all a blink away and a small voice inside asks us: "Are we ready?" My own inner voice has me looking around and taking an inventory of my wood pile, my antifreeze, my winter coat, gloves and boots, and I say: “Yes, I’m ready.”
A good question for all of us, but...were we ready at this time two years ago? Were we truly prepared for all that was about to unfold with the pandemic?
Once in a while, we get an inkling that a storm - something big - may be heading our way and we have time to prepare, to gather our inner forces and take steps to manage what might be coming to us. But often, the most significant life events don't announce themselves. Some unexpected experience rolls over us before we know what's going on. How can we make peace with the unforeseen? Is there any way to prepare ourselves for the events that completely blindside us?
In the simplest terms, we know that our lives will include good days and not-so-good days. There will be victories, disappointments, joy, pain. Where ever we may find ourselves now - whatever we may be facing, however unexpected or challenging - we can make a practice of trusting our own resiliency and trusting the flow of life, itself.
For me, "being ready" really means believing in and cultivating a connection to my innermost self and holding the possibility (even in truly demanding circumstances) that whatever comes to me is actually for me. Embedded in any overwhelming, unexpected experience are gifts of change, evolution, wisdom. It is up to us to notice these possibilities, to make even a small space for them to emerge through chaos or pain.
Whatever the winter and 2022 bring to us - no matter how it looks - is a gift from life. May we all receive this next cycle of life with courage, self-knowing and gratitude.
~ David
2 Responses
Glinda
Love is the only energy there is. Happy New Year.
Deborah Licurse
Beautifully said and so true David!
Leave a comment
Comments will be approved before showing up.
David Dalton
Author