What a couple weeks it's been. Election results are sinking in.
It doesn’t matter who you voted for, no one can feel good about themselves when some of their countrymen 
and women are scared for their future. Maybe egos can but not hearts.
Based on some of the posts I’ve been reading from both sides, this election has certainly either knocked us out of alignment or shown us where we were already off. I don't know about you, but I need to hit the reset button. I need to somehow renew my faith in humanity.
I always find time in nature to be such a comfort when life has thrown me a curveball. A meditative walk—immersing myself in nature—always helps me get back into my natural rhythm. So much so that I’ve included a recording of my favorite walking meditation for you (below).
So "into the forest I go, to lose my mind and find my soul."
I like to give credit where credit is due, but even that is a stretch these days. Take the above quote for example. I always see credit given to John Muir, but in my fact-checking I found it to be from Mariah Danu. Who knows what to believe anymore. Just because a friend has shared something doesn't make it true. All it takes is a click to share false information or half-truths.
What people are really posting is information about how they are feeling. People are in the throes of emotion. I'm hearing lots of calls for help between the words. Some people get prickly when scared. If you want to be a good friend: be a good listener, offer a hug, the sermon can wait. If you're irritated, be curious about it rather than condemning. Go for a walk. Pray for those who irritate you. Wish them well if you believe them to be unwell in their thinking. Even if you are wrong, it can't hurt to wish someone well.
We breathe shallow when anxious. It is not our natural rhythm. It says we are scared—usually about either a
worst case scenario future (that hasn't even happened yet) or an unreconciled past. There is something wonderful about being able to let that anxiety go even if it's only for a few minutes. Meditative walks bring us back into the moment, into appreciation, into the awes and wonders of nature. Breathing deep when you realize you have been breathing shallow can bring forth a smile of gratitude if you allow it—in that moment you feel rooted in something more.
- Offer some hugs.
- Crunch some leaves. (the ocean works too)
- Do your fact checking.
- Confront any past issues with authority this election may have nudged to the surface (preferably with the help of a counselor).
- Wish people well.
If you desire to renew your faith in humanity, being the change you hope to see is a great start.
Consider this meditation a virtual hug. I hope it helps you, it has been a breath of fresh air for me.
Friends in this Love,
Trish
If you'd like a counseling or coaching session email info@trishwhynot.com.
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I write this as I listen to your "walking meditation" recording. I didn't expect that you were actually going to go on a walk during the recording, so I thought it was cute to hear all the sound effects...but they are not sound effects, you are actually on a walk. :)
Anyways, back to "Renewing Our Faith in Humanity"...my younger sister often encourages me to reconcile with my older (prickly) sister when we are at odds. My younger sister experiences my older sister in the same (prickly) vein that I do, and because of that, I have admired my younger sister for often "being the bigger person". However, yesterday, she made a comment that I thought was interesting, and surprising. She said she wants to get along with my older sister, because when my dad dies, she doesn't want any arguments over things....for some reason that hit me the wrong way. For the first time I thought to myself, my younger sister is just afraid of being thrown out, just the way I am afraid of being thrown out.
During our conversation, we both agreed how great it would be if we all could just be together as siblings, to work together and support each other...versus living under the fear that my older sister is going to continue to be nasty when she gets angry, or doesn't get her way, and to continue to control all the purse strings, to her own benefit.
So using your words, "to renew our faith in humanity", I would like to keep this in my focus, just mine a little closer to home. I would just like to renew my faith with my own family members.
Hi Audra,
Yes, I was actually on a walk. :)
Pray for the prickly, I always say. They are calling for love. But a call for love can only be heard by someone who is loving. If you are taking that person's behavior personally a wound in you is being revealed and must be addressed first. If you fear being thrown out, have you experienced being thrown out in your past or witnessed a family member being thrown out? You might want to start there. And then, rather than focus on preventing what you don't want, try focusing on creating what you do and inviting the sisters to join you.
Keep me posted.
Trish