There will be an After This. For many of us, there will be time to be productive and strive for success and start new projects. But for now, the task at hand is to mourn the dead. Bake the casserole. Wear the stretchy pants. Cry the tears. Feel the fear. Take it slow. It’s ok.
Give yourself permission.
Because here’s the truth: pandemic or not, times of need or times of plenty, threatened or safe, wealthy or broke, paralyzed with fear or comfortable in my privilege; there are ways that I want to live my life that I will not compromise. I’m not talking about daily habits or visiting favorite bars - those are the little things that quickly fall to the wayside as we choose health and safety over comfort. I’m talking about core components of my person-hood that I will not forget despite all of the changes in my routine and activities.
We watch our minds grow, transforming, finally growing into a harvest, shared through our creativity and connection. The seasons turn, and we start all over again. Because joy is a process. It’s a tending to and cultivating.
Non-striving is NOT about sitting on the couch and binge watching Netflix for the rest of your life. It is not about abandoning all your life goals and eating ice cream by the quart in your pajamas. But it IS about understanding that your worth does not lie in your accomplishments. It IS about a deep, gut-level awakening to the fact that you are more than the sum of the items on your resume…
What if instead of the Fear of Missing Out (FOMO), we could celebrate the Joy of Missing Out (JOMO)? In other words, what if we could actually, fully experience the joy of this present moment, right here, right now, instead of living in fear that there is something better out there somewhere on the internet? What if we could find joy in our lives, exactly as they are?
