How many times lately have you turned on the news to find that tragedy has occurred? Or to find that tragedy is continuing? Sometimes I turn on the news and then turn it right back off. No matter who you are or where you are, it’s a lot to take in. There is so much violence and division globally, within the United States, and within our daily interactions. It’s easy to quickly categorize the people that we see and hear about on the news into good/bad, either/or, us vs. them and then disconnect. And if we’re reacting that way to conflict that we’re geographically distant from, it’s possible that we’re reacting the same way to conflict within our own communities, families, and relationships. It’s easy to want to ignore it entirely because it’s too hard to take it all in. Ignoring pain and conflict doesn’t make it go away, but neither does focusing narrowly on it. It’s important to be able to process pain - our own or not. If we can’t process our pain, it gets stuck.
On the foggiest of days, some light still passes through.
Honestly, I’m not sure anyone has the capacity to hear about all of the bad news that there is right now, and that’s certainly not what I’m suggesting. But often when we react by shutting out the noise, we choose distractions that allow our attention to stay unfocused. We lose track of our bodies, our thoughts, our feelings, and our time. We fill silences with other noise, media, and conversation that isn’t really meaningful. None of these silence-fillers are bad, but are we using them for enjoyment or avoidance? Rather than numbing yourself to what’s happening around you, I invite you to stay embodied and participate in what is happening. You are part of your environment. Reconnect yourself to your surroundings and stay present, even if only for a few minutes. We all have limits, and if we haven’t practiced taking in difficult information recently, we may have to build resilience. Consider starting by being permeable. You can be open to things that are difficult to process but you don’t have to hold tightly to them. Let them pass through you.
These thistles are thriving in sandy, rocky, nutrient-poor soil. Plant cell membranes are selectively permeable, allowing them to absorb only what they need from the environment.
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