2020… Seek it Lovingly

Happy New Year from Montana Mindfulness Institute

Thank goodness the holidays are over, right? If you’re like me, you may be feeling a sense of relief or that you have crested the summit of something and get to stop working so hard for a while. Every year I try so hard not to let the hype of the holidays get to me, but I would have to say that every year it does get to me one way or another.

There is no solution.
Seek it lovingly.
~Socrates

This quotation was sent to me by a dear friend on the winter solstice as I was trying to think my way through a complicated tangle of life situations and demands all of which seemed to directly conflict with each other. The juggling of work, house, children, holidays, health and relationships was scrambling my thoughts and leaving me in a state of continuous partial attention…scatter. Lists of things to do, decisions to make, multiple people who needed me and a constant sense of being spread too thin… these had made their way into the drivers seat, despite my commitment to daily practice and intention to avoid feeling this way.

Then one morning, as I read the simple words of Socrates gifted to me in a text, I felt the bubble pop. An immediate release of the gripping sensations from my internal struggle and a long exhale followed by tears of relief and release passed through me. I realized I had taken my eye off the ball yet again and failed to see what was right in front of me. None of the items on my list was nearly as important as the way I was able to do them or not do them. I felt a sense of homecoming as I realized it takes but an instant to wake up and remember my true nature.

“There is no solution” reminded me of the absurdity of so much of what I busy myself with. “Seek it lovingly” reminded me that I am imbued with the energy of love, and I can choose to be aware of it at all times and in all activities. The seeking for a solution will continue, that may be part of the human condition, but to take it more lightly and do it more lovingly, this is my intention for 2020.