Feeling The (Positive) Change
April 2020
It’s still early on Sunday morning as I write this, but I’ve already been up for hours. As someone who is sensitive to energy and especially changes in energy, I was woken up at 4.01am, which was a minute after the Together At Home global live event started. So really, not surprising that I was woken up, given the amount of people globally, who had already tuned in and the consequential collective energy. Instead of trying to go back to sleep, I walked to the lounge room and tuned into the YouTube event on the TV, and settled myself on the lounge.
Admittedly, I dozed off a few times but the energy surrounding the live broadcast was and still is, just amazing. There are so many different ways to look at the global situation, but I’m feeling the love, kindness, compassion and gratitude, and for the first time in my lifetime, I’m witnessing the entire world, come together as one. This is definitely one for the history books.
When I was little, I learnt about the first two world wars and I remember my father telling me how the world would come to an end if we had another world war, and how we just had to stop all the fighting. And I remember thinking, how could we, as individual countries, come together, when we argue about so much, all the time? I remember (having to) watch the news on TV, and always seeing the devastation going on, somewhere around the globe. It continued as I grew up and in my mind it only got worse and more prominent, with 911. Then somewhere along the way, I just accepted that they’d always be fighting and I’d be raising children in a world where there was no real peace. And then this happened. This one devastating event that spread so quickly across the globe… this one event that impacted so many lives in one swoop… that made us all aware that some things transcend all groupings and categories, and that no-one is immune to. This one event that has put the world into lockdown and had social distancing and isolation rules put into effect. The one event that has, in a way that no one could have imagined, brought us together as a globe. It’s brought communities together. It’s brought families together. It’s made us all stop and think about what really matters to us most, when all is said and done. It’s made us appreciate the little things in life and pushed us to discard anything that doesn’t work. It’s forced us to take care of ourselves and others. It’s made us change the way we work, interact, communicate, shop, exercise… everything. It’s pushed us to use technology in ways that we didn’t think we would before this started… technology that was developing and evolving, slowly, and that we were adopting at the same slow pace. This epidemic has propelled us, as a globe, forward. It’s made us all change our ways of thinking and behaving. It’s forced innovation at every level.
Are we challenged? Yes. Has it rocked our very foundation? Yes. Has it forced us to make changes? Yes. Is the rate of change exhausting? Yes. Is this overwhelming? Yes. Will we get through it? Yes.
It is unfortunate that great change doesn’t happen without the heartache. Hell, I wish that I didn’t have to go through half of the pain and daily challenges that I did, to get me to where I am today – to who I am today. But a diamond can only be formed with an immense amount of pressure. A pearl is only created by a grit of sand irritating the oyster. It’s only when the thought of doing nothing and staying the same, is scarier than what’s over the horizon, does change happen.
And I’m seeing some wonderful changes happening and I’m feeling it too.
When I went outside yesterday for an hour-long power walk (nope – not into running), I witnessed families playing and exercising together. I watched people take care of themselves by running, cycling, skipping, doing push ups and boxing drills. Yes it was a Saturday afternoon but before this pandemic, you would’ve seen more people at the shops or other events, rather than in the park, being together. You would have seen more people caught up in the regularity of dashing from one event to the other, rather than stopping to truly enjoy what life had to offer.
If such a drastic event was needed to force us all to change how we are, at a core level, then this is a blessing in disguise. You may not feel it now or believe me, but this change was needed. But, if you feel that the life you’re being forced to live now, isn’t something that you like, for whatever reason, then find a way to change it. Use this time to take that first step to change any part of the foundation that is you and your life, to make it better. Discard what you don’t need – mentally, emotionally, physically. And embrace what you do consider important. If there are things that you can’t action until the social restrictions are lifted, then make plans for what you’re going to do for when that day comes. Don’t just daydream about it. Write it down. Work it out. Talk to others and ask for help in making it a reality. Use this time to make whatever changes you need in your life, so that you love everything about it and who you are in it.
And know that this won’t last forever. I’ve seen the end and the world will be a much better place when it’s over. There won’t be any “going back to the way things were” because our very foundations will have been changed for the better. As individuals, we’ll be stronger and have more love and compassion for ourselves and each other. As humanity, we’ll simply be better. The future is bright, so don’t worry about what’s going to happen next. Embrace and take care of the now. The rest will fall into place.
