We can’t process change, at the speed at which change happens. We need time to integrate and reflect.
In our fast-paced world, there is a new crisis every moment it seems. There is so much information, and so much happening so fast, to me it feels like a real crisis, is the lack of opportunities for reflection and integration.
The speed of change in our world means we sometimes bypass meaning-making and just react with whatever comes to mind. Also, the quick, reactive nature of online communication feeds this lack of time to process what we see, think, feel, and know. And what’s true, is that we humans process feelings at a much slower pace than our reactive self reveals. (This is why we often later regret something we said or did in the heat of the moment.)
The Gift of Writing
Writing out your experiences is one of the paths that can help you process experiences. Taking time to find your stories and craft them with the details that really “nail” a moment in time can be so rewarding. It helps you think things through and make sense of your life and your world.
Then, sharing stories you have crafted, so that others may gain a glimpse of what you feel and experience, is a powerful act of real connection making. And that's something that many of us have been missing in our quick, reactive world lately. Slowing down to find our stories is a meaningful gift we can give ourselves.
Taking action requires attention and participation
Outer changes happen because we take action. Changes in the world happen because of our participation. Actions mean whatever we are doing to work towards what we care about. The same is true for inner change. It requires our attention and participation.
And believing in what is possible.
Inviting Possibility
I want to invite you to reflect on what is possible for you, inspired by the writing of Emily Dickinson below.
I dwell in Possibility By Emily Dickinson
I dwell in Possibility –
A fairer House than Prose –
More numerous of Windows –
Superior – for Doors –
Of Chambers as the Cedars –
Impregnable of eye –
And for an everlasting Roof
The Gambrels of the Sky –
Of Visitors – the fairest –
For Occupation – This –
The spreading wide my narrow Hands
To gather Paradise –
Try this: Emily gathered "Paradise" where she could find it, mostly just within the radius of her home and heart. It was her rich internal life and deep connection to her surroundings and ideas that nourished her life.
These explorations are something we can all do, no matter what is going on, or where we are. The difference is, she took the time to reflect and write about her experiences.
What is the paradise you can gather right now, wherever you are?