A Shift

Today the skies are blue and the coast is shining.  The temperatures are moving up, with anticipation of a downturn in the next few days.  We are at 56 degrees fahrenheit and it is feeling warm.  Today is Saturday, a day that will be filled with movement, which means serenity will have a role to play.

The recent world news continues and it seems the word "collapse" is a part of every story.  It doesn't matter whether it is about the conflicts that we are naming as full-fledged wars, the damage being done to our eco-systems, the failure of financial insitutions, the absence of decent and affordable housing, the transportation systems that get people moving across the expanse of space we call "the city.".  The conditions are telling us about a shift, and yet...

In the middle of all this kind of reporting, it is also true that there are babies awaiting arrival into the world and, as we all know:  those little beings represent the affirmation of life and possibilities for good.  There are also gardens that community members are preparing for the outflow of color from flowers and a harvest of fresh, homegrown food to be included in meals.  There are people working on performances to lift the spirit into a world of music, theater, dance, drumming, and more.  

It takes intention to shift away from all that might bring one into giving up, giving in, and simply stop giving.  And it could be well rationalized because the shifts that are happening feel unprecedented - and perhaps they are.  And yet...

What are you going to do when the sun still insists on breaking through the clouds, and the earth continues to share its bounty - whether touched by human hands or not, and the suffering of others continues to grow?  How might you turn toward, rather than turn away - and still maintain your grounding to your singular existence?  After all, at some point the realization comes that you are at once nothing but a channel for energy and love, and everything to those around you who are a part of what you experience as Life.  

To know how to move with a sense of serenity, calm - no matter what the conditions one faces in life is like sitting on top of a heap of a mangled mess, holding space and practicing.  Practicing to breathe, practicing to gaze, not stare, practicing to empty the mind so that insight can enter, practicing to be one with the mess that belongs to you and to all.  And maybe finding where the light comes through.

Not sure if this is making any sense; but what in the world is making sense now?