In the Time of Pandemic
Kitty O’Meara (2020), published on The Daily Round blog
And the people stayed home.
And they read books, and listened, and rested, and exercised, and made art, and played games, and learned new ways of being, and were still.
And they listened more deeply. Some meditated, some prayed, some danced. Some met their shadows. And the people began to think differently.
And the people healed.
And, in the absence of people living in ignorant, dangerous, mindless, and heartless ways, the earth began to heal.
And when the danger passed, and the people joined together again, they grieved their losses, and made new choices, and dreamed new images, and created new ways to live and heal the earth fully, as they had been healed.
Roger talks of his selection:
The author is a retired teacher and chaplain of palliative care in Madison, Wisconsin (USA). She felt overwhelmed by the news on the spread of COVID19, worried about her colleagues providing front-line care, and frustrated with a sense of powerlessness.
She was reminded to keep using her gift of writing to better cope with the lockdown restrictions, but was surprised by the resonance that her message of hope has had across the globe.
I wish you will find encouragement, as I did, in her invitation for engaging our gifts to care for each other and our planet, to mourn, and heal.
The author speaks of her poem:
[My poem] offers a story of how it could be, what we could do with this time
I was anxious for the past few months. I knew this was coming and I couldn’t be of service
I was getting kind of sad. There was nothing I could do. I couldn’t help my friends. I was very worried about them. My husband said: ‘Write. Just write again’
I saw the maps of the receding pollution over China and Europe. I thought, ‘There you go. There’s something of blessing in all suffering.’ And I thought with my passionate love for the Earth, maybe that’s one good thing.
I saw [my poem] going viral as a gift to me. I was able to offer spiritual care.
We have gifts. It’s a good reminder that whatever your gift is, and however small it is, keep using it. This is a really good time for that
We can wallow where we are or we can see the invitations. Anything that you can tap into that allows your feelings to be expressed creatively will do that for you. You will feel better on the other end of it. You will be changed.
Source: Oprah magazine
