Please Be Gentle
With Yourself
I
have found myself writing and/or saying those words to an unusually
large number of people in recent months.
All in response to trauma,
stress, fear, illness, worry or the loss of a loved one.
According
to Chinese Medicine, Autumn is the time for grief and awe, for
choosing the valuable jewels to keep in your pocket and letting the
rest go. Many people let go of life in the fall, leaving the rest of
us to grieve and cherish the gifts worth keeping. My mentor and
friend, BobDuggan,
the one who taught me this, passed away this fall. I am thankful
daily for the many gifts he gave me and am inspired anew to share
them with the world.
Now,
we begin the plunge into the holiday season and Winter is making
itself known. It is the season of courage and fear, quietly facing
the unknown and being willing to sit in deep, dark, stillness with
it. Letting our resources rebuild until we're ready to rise back up
in the Spring. Unlike the chaos many of us have designed for ourselves this time of year.
As as a result, this
transition we're in, between letting go and unknowing, is often a
struggle for many in our culture. We seem to think that we should be
on the go constantly, happy constantly, no time to reflect. And yet,
nothing in nature does that. What makes us think we're exempt? I'm
seeing a lot of illness and dis-ease in my treatment room due that
struggle. Helping people let go and open back up to that deep, revitalizing stillness is a huge part of my work these days.
It
seems to me that it's no mistake that the presidential election is at
this transitional time of year. It is our nation's time to choose
what/who is valuable and let the rest drop away. It sets the tone for
the future, just as fall and winter in the natural world does for
spring.
Many
old wounds are being lanced of late in our world. So much pain. So
much suffering. So much ugliness. As we mend and recover, may we come
to cherish what's valuable while letting go of what's not. May we sit
quietly together, listening, as we repair these old wounds, not
knowing what will come of it.
May
we show simple kindness to ourselves. And others. Rebuilding our
community, one moment at a time. Not in reaction, just quietly being with each other. The equivalent of my (southern) culture's tradition of just showing up with a ham and quietly doing the dishes. This is how we will heal and grow together.
So, please…
be gentle with yourself.
Until next time,
Janice
p.s. Feel free to drop me a note or give me a call if I can be of help to you during this time. ~ jc
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