“EMILY: "Does anyone ever realize life while they live it...every, every minute?"
STAGE MANAGER: "No. Saints and poets maybe...they do some.” ― Thornton Wilder, Our Town
The quote from Emily in Our Town is one I return to again and again. I am not diminishing the seriousness of these days. Concern for health of family and friends is palpable to be sure. Fear is real. But joy is more real. It multiplies, sustains, holds and carries us to the other side. Fear coils us back into darkness. Joy calls us out to play, dance, laugh and delight in today, in every, every minute.
Think back to one month ago. We bemoaned busy, chaotic schedules, no time to think, being torn between work and family obligations, no quality time with our family or hobbies, reading, pursuit of purpose, quiet time. We longed for the world to slow down. Well, it’s slowed down and grind to a temporary halt.
Like many, I have spent the past week on video calls in meetings to scramble for immediate concerns and plan for what’s next. I am meeting coworkers and clients dogs, kids and a lot of colleagues with flat hair (mainly mine – I’m 3 weeks past due a perm) Wake up to these moments right now and dig into purpose work. This time is offering the gift of pause, depth, solitude. Stop, absorb and connect authentically.
Be with your family now. Love the chaos of quiet and keep asking, pondering and answering purpose and meaning questions. Dig in, think wide and broad. Pay attention to getting not only through this but realizing every minute while you’re in it.
We are not only in this together, we will get through this together and we will thrive on the other side together too. We are not only home schooling our kids, we are home schooling ourselves. Get to class and start learning the lessons of these days. You will need this curriculum of resilience, resolve and rising to move to the #otherside.
“We all go through hard times in life. It’s a part of being alive and it's the reality we all have to deal with. There are times we forget our value as a person because we are so blinded with these thoughts of loneliness, emptiness and ego. Somewhere along the road we become numbed with all the frustrations and dissatisfaction. But life itself isn't always about darkness and sadness, Life is also filled with colors and that makes it beautiful. Along this path of darkness there's always light waiting to be seen by our daunted hearts. Our heart is gifted to see this light. It may be hiding behind those circumstances that we encounter; in a stranger we just met at an unexpected place; a family who has been always there but you just ignored because of your imperfect relationship with them; it might be a long time friend you have or a friend you just met. Open your heart and you will see how blessed you are to have them all in your life. Sometimes they are the light that shines your path in some dark phases of life. Don't lose hope”― Chanda Kaushik
The #otherside will require optimism, creativity, vision, faith, enthusiasm, hope, adaptability, art, science, energy, connection, authenticity, poetry, purpose, resilience, and yes, a very large measure of joy.
There has never been a better time than right now to start something new. We are all relying on it. Start3Things and be the fuel that moves us through to the #otherside. This IS y(our) time. START!