A friend called me this week and asked me what I thought about the back-to-back hurricanes.
I quickly remarked that events like these reveal the truth of humanity. The love, the kindness- the essence of how we are all connected and want to serve in heaping capacities of compassion and generosity to each other. I love that about us.
I also mentioned to her that I see natural disasters as huge triggers for all of us.
In my eyes, hurricanes and other natural disasters challenge the shields we all create to protect ourselves from the knowledge that we are wading almost head-high in a life of uncertainty.
We build walls (both literal and figurative), we focus on plans & plan Bs, we construct habits & patterns, we hide behind thoughts and stories, we design all sorts of beautiful looking devices to protect us from the truth that nothing except this moment is promised.
Tomorrow our houses may be gone. Our jobs may change. Our lovers may leave us. We may leave them. Our businesses may fall short of our expectations. Our friends may stop talking to us. Our pets may pass on. We may pass on.
Truthfully, those are some scary shit-storms.
Truthfully, our shields can’t protect us from this largely unscripted life. And I wonder if they even should.
Underneath our shields laced with seemingly good intentions, we are all naked in here.
There are days that I’m not sure I want to feel everything that comes with the uncertainty of life.
And then there are days when I know with certainty that I do.
Naked means feeling all the feels and navigating from a place of raw intuition and wisdom in each moment that presents itself.
Feeling angry. afraid. sad. disgusted. overwhelmed. surprised. trust. happiness. joy. anticipation.
Experiencing loss. grief. heartbreak. vulnerability. bliss. heart-full.
Can we allow ourselves to be all in? And how do we even start?
My go-to is a simple process:
- Stopping (in a moment to notice what’s going on with me).
- Breathing (into whatever is here with me).
- Compassion and kindness (to myself without trying to change anything in this moment).
- Curiosity (asking my wise self what messages she has for me about this experience and any insights on how best to navigate).
So, I’m here practicing naked.
And of course I want to know— are you in?
With love & compassion for all of us today — especially those facing the scariest parts of our unscripted lives–
Stacey