Outside of ourselves we hold close all we love; inside ourselves we hold close all we fear.
Please discuss. How does this play out in life?
I’ll start us out. 2020 has been an exercise in understanding what and whom we hold dear. Changes wrought in us, in society, in the economy have altered our activities, interactions, and finances. The outcome—a clearer knowledge of what’s really important to us—is invaluable. We’ve learned to cherish the things and people we love and have tried to alter our behavior to reflect our caring.
At the same time, COVID-19 and the attendant upheaval has triggered many of our fears. Our lives have been destabilized, leaving us feeling at best uncertain and at worst flat out afraid. We have many concerns—health, money, isolation, social unrest, political divide are some—and they spur varying levels of discomfort within each of us. We hold our fears close within ourselves, trying not to let them overwhelm us. In doing so, we give them power, power that increases in relation to our avoidance.
Today’s message reminds me that whether I am dealing with people or situations I love or ones I fear, the healthy course of action is to engage. I build my happiness and contentment by recognizing whom and what I love and reaching out to cherish them. I ease my discomfort and stabilize myself by owning my fears and learning what I can to do to allay them. I need to hold my loves ones close, dialogue with my unease, take appropriate action where possible, and let the rest go, as it is out of my control. I can choose what I hold onto.
How about you? What have you been holding dear and what have you been releasing?