Listening To The Bones
The past year revealed so much didn’t it? In many ways it was as if our collective closet was unlocked and all the skeletons were just right there for everyone to see. And as shocking as it was, it wasn’t necessarily a bad thing. I believe it was time to examine the skeletons and learn from the bones. There’s wisdom in what we seek to hide or deny and no time like a lockdown from a global pandemic to sit down together for a long conversation. Just me and my skeletons . . . just you and yours . . . just all of us together in our isolation . . .
For much of 2020 I was quarantined by myself for health reasons. Being immunosuppressed felt particularly vulnerable when the pandemic first started because we knew so little and the unknowns kept growing. I didn’t know how safe or unsafe I was so I followed my health care provider’s suggestion and went on solo lockdown. Just me and my skeletons!
So what did I learn? I learned, re-learned really, that Self-Care is non-negotiable. (That capital S means whole Self—body, mind, and spirit.) I re-learned that Self-Care must be a daily Practice because daily Self-Care refills and renews every day. Because the pandemic gave each day a uniquely immediate context, I learned that every day is the day I’m in at the moment and it’s that day and the moments of that day that I have—only these. Tomorrow isn’t guaranteed and yesterday is a memory. I realized that in the present moment of the day I have, if I want to be my best Self I need to take care of mySelf! That’s one of the things my skeletons told me. So I doubled down on Self-Care.
I could have given in to anxiety, overwhelm, depression and despair or, following my skeleton’s advice, I could take action proven to calm my mind, reduce worry, enhance my physical strength (feeling physically strong was a biggie!), connect me to my innate wisdom, and help me problem solve.
I put on the shoes, the sunblock, the hat, grabbed the mask and walked. Walking is the best Self-Care for women. I knew that (and practiced it as an upholder of the truth about walking) but re-learned it last year and it became my moving antidote to the pandemic.
My walks not only got me through the pandemic, literally one step, one walk, one day at a time, they also offered me time to get clear on many areas of my life, 1MWW being one of those areas. (More about that in a moment . . . )
Let me be clear in saying that not every day or walk was a walk in the park. Many days felt like an endless dark night of the soul and I fought long and hard to keep it “together” and keep moving forward. But every single walk helped. And every single walk was a literal, figurative, and symbolic step in the right direction.
I began to see other walking women on my walks—to begin with we’d wave at each other across the street and then, as the months went by, we’d pause and talk, again across the street but that pause for human interaction was a blessing and point of grace. We shared how walking kept us sane, helped us think things through and for so many of my fellow walking women, their daily walks were their precious “ME TIME”. Their time to take care of themselves and walk through the problems of their lives. So we walked and shared alone, together.
As we shared I came to learn that they too were listening to the bones, taking a good clear look at their lives and how they lived them, coming to a new place of knowing what is important and what needs to change. Here’s what I learned as I listened and walked:
Today is the day to live, so live it well.
Take nothing for granted, especially a shared experience.
Now is the time to do what you came here to do.
If you don’t know what that is, open your closet, listen to the bones and go for a walk You’ll figure it out.
I’d love to know what you learned during the pandemic, and continue to learn. Drop me a line in the comments below and let’s share our wisdom!
We’re certainly not out of the woods yet, there are more uncertain miles ahead of us but having a sense of what’s important and how to live that importance makes those miles more bearable. What’s important to me is the health and well-being of the women on this planet. I believe we’re the change agents our world needs now. To bring our best into these needs, we need to take care of ourSelves deeply and meaningfully every day. Which is why I’ve moved 1MWW’s Member Community to a new and wonderful platform away from the vitriol and drama of social media. And (stealth move here) I’m inviting you to become a Founding Member via this secret link. This is a very limited offer so act now. Thank you, take Care, and keep walking!