I watched an old episode of QI last night and they were talking about average sizes and demographics. After surveying thousands of women in Australia, an ‘average’ person was deduced – hair colour, children’s ages, home owner etc; – the list was fairly long 🙂 and when they looked for this ‘average’ person, they couldn’t find her. Apparently an average person doesn’t exist.
Well, if there’s no such thing as an average person, is there really any chance of discovering what is ‘normal’?
There’s been loads of talk about nature being more ‘present’ since people stopped getting in its way, and the ozone layer healing because there are less vehicles on the road. How much of this is 100% true is, of course, debatable. But we all lean on the hope that we are slowly healing our planet.
There’s been a huge divide between rich and poor for decades and those workers on the front lines have been continuously denied a decent wage, but the selflessness of those heroic folk on the front lines is now being recognized and applauded.
My hope is that humanity and humans as a species grow from this experience, spiritually, mentally and physically – although no growing sideways please!
When we hear folk moaning about being ‘stuck’ at home, it’s hard not to drop in a comment about homeless families, abuse victims and lonely folk who may be dealing with physical and/or mental issues. I resist because I do believe that what we give our attention to will grow so I only comment on positive stuff. It’s really quite tough sometimes though. I’ve had first hand experience with some of the issues mentioned and my ego often jumps in and wants to berate the moaners … BUT ….
That’s counter-productive because they really don’t know any different and showing what can be done is always more effective than telling.
So what is the new normal? Nobody knows for sure – we can speculate and opinionate but a pandemic on the scale we are currently experiencing is incomparable. Yes, a hundred years ago we had one, but life was different then – not saying better or worse – but certainly different.
Maybe, just maybe, there’s a nugget of hope in all the confusion – the hope that helps us evolve as a species, the hope that respects nature and our fellow humans. My word for this is love. Loving and practicing gratitude everyday sends out joyful and positive energy to the universe which swirls it all around and deposits those good feelings at random spots. (The butterfly’s wings causing a ripple around the earth.)
I try and incorporate these five practices as far as I can and as often as I can.
Stop to smell the roses
Feel the gratitude
Learn something new
Help someone
Love and care for all sentient beings.
Any of these practiced during a day will bring a feeling of joy and abundance to ourselves and the Universe as a whole. I guess the challenge is getting billions of us feeling like that always…. 🙂
Stay Safe and may the force of love be with you.
Linda x
P.S. If you feel like a bit of mind-empty-ness instead of mind-full-ness, this is a definite must read. (I would recommend watching some of his videos as well!)
The Power of Now
A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment: (20th Anniversary Edition) Eckhart Tolle
“Surrender to the present moment, where problems do not exist. It is here we find our joy, are able to embrace our true selves and discover that we are already complete and perfect.”
healthylivingbooks.org 