HEARTS WIDE OPEN

We are collectively traveling through the liminal space of a worldwide pandemic. We are sharing a deep grief during these times, where our lives may have been drastically altered, forever changed into a new way of being. Liminal space is that space where we are in limbo, suspended in time between what we used to know and what we haven’t quite figured out yet.

We are mourning the loss of something once familiar, and now we have no idea what the future holds. I often hear people speak of the ‘new normal’ – the unknown where we cannot see the outcome. We have left life as we know it, not knowing what it will look like on the other side.
What will the new normal look like?
Who knows?
And it’s ok, not to know.

Grief is a complex journey filled with emotion as we pass through: one day we are okay, the next day, we are anxious; the day after, we are angry or sad. Traveling through grief is a primal experience; it drags us through a myriad of emotions. At present, there is an increase in everyone’s anxiety, perhaps because no one knows what to expect. We are all swinging from the trapeze without a safety net.  Could it be that a gift from this pandemic is that it is breaking our hearts wide open? Is it allowing us to see one another in a different light? Is it granting us permission to become human again?

 So, what do we do? 
Perhaps the simplest answer is to help each other, to lead with our hearts.  The heart doesn’t lie. The inner compass always leads us in the right direction. If your heart has been reopened, perhaps you can allow the Light to enter. Henri Nouwen, encourages us to “speak in a healing way to all the people we meet in our busy day.” Chances are, we have all dealt with at least one situation that has hardened our hearts. Maybe it's time to open that wounded heart and soften the heart space so we may heal those wounds with the warmth of compassion, of authenticity, and of Grace. 

Hugs & Love Janet