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What we will cherish in the future might surprise us.
Several weeks ago, I took my eldest daughter to the symphony. They were providing live accompaniment to the Disney film “The Little Mermaid”, a favorite of hers from childhood. I looked around the auditorium and saw myriads of young families there to share the film - an entirely new generation of wonder struck children sitting restlessly in their seats. I also saw a fair number of adults in the audience, some perhaps mothers and daughters, like us, looking to capture something from a time long gone. I knew I was in trouble the second the lights dimmed and the overture began. My eyes welled up as I was transported back to my daughter’s childhood and the constant play of the VHS cassette of the film, so much so that it necessitated its replacement at one point. Each moment came back full force: not only the movie itself but singing to the soundtrack on the way to soccer practice, taking her to meet the actress who voices The Little Mermaid when she was in town for a concert, coloring infinite underwater scenes of Sebastian, Ariel, and Ursula, The Sea Witch. At one point, my now twenty-eight-year-old daughter reached over and gently placed her hand on my leg. I squeezed and held it there. I remember a time when I thought “not that movie again”, fearing I was on the brink of madness, before acquiescing. Yet, here we were sharing something that transported us both back to a precious time in our shared history and making a new shared memory as well. That music never sounded sweeter. In those days, I couldn’t have begun to fathom our lives all these years later, sitting there together crying in the dark. I couldn’t have known that hearing those songs played yet again would bring on such nostalgia, connection, and joy. We don’t always get such vibrant reminders of the cherished moments of our lives. And we don’t always know which moments, even the insignificant or tedious ones, are precious memories being made. I almost missed this chance. I had had other things on my schedule for that day. Boy, I’m glad I didn’t. Blessings on your journey, Louisa
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“Fear is the cheapest room in the house. I’d like to see you in better living conditions.” ~Hafiz.
If everything truly is a teacher, then there is much to learn from these moments we find ourselves in. Moments that challenge our sense of what is civil, what is dignified, what is just. But, if we cannot meet these moments with equanimity, we risk missing the lesson. It is easy to be consumed by anxiety right now, succumbing to uncertainty and “what-ifs”, unsure what direction to turn in. For some, we turn toward the comfort of sense addictions to numb ourselves by watching too much television, drinking too much, or spending too much money. For others, we may stick our head in the sand, avoiding the news, or adopting a stance that what is happening in the word holds little relevance for us. But it is just as easy to let our desire for justice cloud our wisdom and become a self-righteous rationalization for hatred and violence of our own. Each of these responses is driven by fear. Each is a manifestation of the fight, flight, or freeze posture of the sympathetic central nervous system when confronted with threat. While this is an automated physiological response, once we realize it has occurred, we do have a choice: we can surrender to it and fuel it, or we can begin to soothe the arousal we feel and bring ourselves gently back to regulation. The former is the choice most of us make because it is the path of least resistance, particularly when we find belonging in groups that want to mirror back to us our helplessness/ignorance/rage. It can feel so affirming to join with others around uncertainty, suffering, and injustice. But this is not soothing to the CNS, and it doesn’t address the fear. Instead, it sustains and inflames it under the guise of remediating it. I invite you to play the long game here, particularly if your work is to be of service to others. We cannot reliably care for those who are suffering until we move through fear and care for ourselves. Devise some strategies that help you to stay grounded and balanced. Develop a practice that truly centers on soothing your central nervous system as it is forced to traverse such a hostile landscape. When you become activated (and you most certainly will), don’t let fear win. Develop a regular movement practice, make art, learn to be mindful. Remember that you are not alone. Join one of our meditation groups or our study group. Channel your energy into being of service to those less fortunate. Rebellion? Hell yes! But not if fueled by hate. Let it be powered instead by the desire to make the world a better, safer, and more loving place for us all. Blessings on your journey, Louisa |
AuthorLouisa has always enjoyed writing and is thrilled that she now has a way to share her musings with a larger community of like-minded seekers. Her writing is often an extension and exploration of the struggles she faces in integrating her own spirituality, scholarly study, life experience, and nuggets of brilliance from her teachers in the hopes that it might alchemically transform itself into something approximating wisdom. Archives
April 2025
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