August 15 I noticed my calendar was still on July. For me, perhaps for you as well, there has been a sense of timelessness during this period of Covid 19. Usually, there have been markers over the course of the year such that even when time seems to be “flying,” I still have a perception of “in February we took a trip to (fill in the blank); “in May we had a big celebration for (fill in the blank); and so on. When one day is often much like the one before it and the one after it, time seems to lose its meaning.
Steven R. Covey says that you can spend time on useful things or useless things. However, if you consider the term “investing” instead of “spending,” he suggests you will invest it in something that has meaning and value for you. I have wondered how we will look back on this period; will it seem to have been “lost time,” nothing gained, or “valuable time,” well “invested”?
Given that at this point it appears that we could be restricted from our normal activities for some time to come, this would seem to be an excellent time to take stock. Imagine yourself a year from now. What would you like to look back on?
Covey wrote about making a personal mission statement, stating that “Whatever is at the center of our life will be the source of our security, guidance, wisdom and power.”
Just before New Year’s 2019, I came across a similar idea in a post from inward/outward where the writer suggested making a “roadmap” for the year ahead. The writer began her roadmap with the words: “To keep my equilibrium, I have to remember the way I have come and who brought me here, which helps keep me grounded.” She then enumerated the things she would rely on to stay grounded and centered. She concluded with these words: “This is just my road map– always being updated in the moment, as the spirit directs.”
What will keep you grounded and centered through this period? What will it take to look back a year from now to say “I grew through this time and I take satisfaction in how I managed this opportunity”?
Blessings as you continue the “covid journey.”
May we be bearers of hope, the “wait staff” of Hope’s Café for each other and all those we encounter.
Shalom, Kate
Hope’s Café Bonus: I share a poem that helped center and ground me:
Rumblings
There are rumblings in my soul.
The earth cracks open:
Lava spills out
Across the landscape of my life,
Warming me/burning me.
There are rumblings in my soul.
The earth cradles me,
Even as it shifts,
Moving me in some direction
I strain to perceive.
There are rumblings in my soul.
The earth propels me:
Whether I stumble or find sure footing,
I am sustained.
There are rumblings in my soul:
Prophets of the earth,
Foretelling change to come,
Change erupting even now,
Gift of the universe.
—-Kate Stulce
Written October 2002
Sante Fe, New Mexico*
* Descriptive of the spiritual journey I have experienced,
which was only beginning to evolve when I wrote this poem.
Hope's Cafe 