This morning my father sent an email to my uncle, and in that correspondence, he sent a photograph of a jar of extremely clear maple syrup. The comment he put in there was: “this may be the only clarity we have for a while”.
Is this so?
What is clarity? We have lived in a world where we have been spoon-fed the idea of who to be and how to be. So often our own intuition or inner voice has been drowned by media surrounding us, and the society in which we live. The entire world is now experiencing something unimaginable even a few months ago; now it has forced us all to hide away in cocoons. By now many of us have overdosed on TV, explored the insides of books, and have played countless video games. Introverts are still in their stride; however, extroverts are wilting beneath the shadow of this isolation. We have drawn all the bubble baths we can possibly have in one week, but still, there is a hunger for something more meaningful.
What is the opportunity in this crisis?
The opportunity I speak of is connecting with your inner voice. I invite you to seize this chance while in forced isolation to really identify what your own voice is saying. Hear that inner wisdom, notice the clarity it can provide, and allow for it to adjust your perspective and priorities. There have been trends in our society of taking mindfulness classes and learning to meditate.
Some people involved in this practice of meditation have even gone to the extreme of travelling to isolated parts of the world to “gather themselves” in complete solitude. We are now in a collective “gathering” with our social distancing. So, what now? What clarity are you truly seeking for the other side, and how do you find it?
Consider unplugging for a while.
A caterpillar in the cocoon doesn’t get outside tutorials on how to be a butterfly or a moth; it happens naturally. Just as well you cannot learn about yourself from other people. Trust that you have within yourself all that you need to fully connect with your inner wisdom. Once the outside chatter has dimmed, more of you will emerge. As you get comfortable connecting with your inner voice, notice what forms of inspiration may come your way. What clarity does that create for you?
Getting to this place of inner connection is just as unique of a journey as you are. When you have made that connection with yourself, you will know it, and you will begin to fully step into the values that you hold most dear. From there, the clarity of your next steps for moving forward will open up to you.
The world will be a very different place compared to how we once recognized it as, and we will emerge from it also as different people. Who will you be?