Sabbath is Here...

During this unprecedented time in human history, I am thinking of Sabbath often. I am not sure how it came into my consciousness, but it dropped there and hasn't left. Maybe I do. I have been asking the universe what this of this truly means. Through the vagaries of life, I have encountered surprise and wonder but not disorder and meaninglessness. There is always an order, a balancing of energy as shifts happen. Then I read the word Sabbath somewhere, and it has been following me or the other way around. I do not know much about it or I didn't till a few weeks ago. And then the world started locking down and I could hunker and read and absorb more about the sacredness of this day.

Sabbath comes from the word Shabbath which means a day of rest. I have never quoted scripture before and I apologize if I goof up, but the metaphorical meaning was just so powerful, I had to write it down. 

“By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work. Then God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done.” (Genesis 2:2-3)

Let's not get stuck at God. We all have an image of God but that's not the point here. The emphasis really is this cycle of work and rest. This is a recommended rest after a week's cycle of work. Could it be that this is the universe putting the planet on forced rest because it was tired of waiting for a period of rest? Is this a longer Sabbath for us? 

Although days have been challenging with tackling the multi-dimensional responsibility situation, I have been reserving the nights for introspection and writing. Here are 10 ways I reckon Covid has impacted me...for the better or not. 

1. Postpartum was a difficult period for me. And I have been looking for some kind of re-do of that time. I haven't connected with my son the way I have in the last two months since I gave birth more than three years back. We have our showdowns of course but the opportunity to catch most of his smiles through the day and to wake up with him without the rush of the morning commute, is kind of priceless. 

2. My husband and I have demanding jobs and we have felt the sense of barely scraping by with seething guilt of our son being at daycare for long periods of time. The sense of togetherness is very tangible, as we lose and even encouraged to lose focus on the outside and stay within. 

3. I am embarrassed to admit but the stark absence of "fear of missing out" or FOMO has been a relief! Although there isn't a lot of time for idling, I find myself more in the moment and not thinking of what else I could have been doing. 

4. We haven't had so many home cooked meals in a long time. Yes, the daily cooking rituals can get to you too but there is something about home food that is sacred. And I have picked up a few quick and easies that will be serve me good when we are all back to a sembalance to pre-Covid life. It has also got me thinking about the power of simple foods. Like lentils and rice. I grew up eating it and although it lost it's sheen as I grew up, I found myself returning to it for sustenance during this time. 

5. I haven't felt the need to say a prayer every night, but these nights compel me to think about how lucky we are to have a roof, ample food to eat and to be employed in the face of this crisis. I feel the desperation and misery of everyone who has already or is about to close a business or lose a job. The united consciousness can be felt in our own spaces, if you just pause for a little while nowadays. 

6. I haven't appreciated the role of nature so much as I have in the past two weeks. When I take my solitary walks, I can feel the trees caressing us humans and the birds calling out that we are not alone. I may be dreaming this up, or maybe not? Each non-human experience is magnified and brings so much joy. Like the other day when sunshine fell on me, I could feel every cell in my body lightening up.

7. I haven't experienced this level of collective empathy ever before. My gym closed but continued to boost morale through online videos and messages, our daycare offered the option to opt my son out and save on the month's tuition, my work has been super understanding for parents turning into full time caregivers. Companies and countries going to high risk epicenters to pick their citizens up, parents exchanging tips to keep kids busy, restaurants making meals for healthcare workers - when they say there is only love at the end, when have we truly experienced that? Its beyond measure.

8. It has provided an interesting inlet into learning about leadership. You start watching the head of states and countries dealing with a crisis that they have never dealt with before. Their citizens are dying, and economy is eroding. They have to choose one but they can't. Because the living has to eat food too. It's a dilemma that must be a causing stress beyond measure. Then you see the different leadership styles emerging. At this point, they can't fake it. Whatever is in there, will be seen. Because their people are dying as they speak. I listen to the New York governor Andrew Cuomo every day for the past two months, and I just know in my heart that he is whose style I want to imbibe. I feel the same way about NZ's wonderful prime minister Jacinda. Both got one thing right - they know the immense power of authenticity in leadership. You start to see a difference in intrinsic leaders and the ones who had to learn the skills of leadership. And the ones who folly, there is much to learn to there as well. So much learning just watching people manage and lead in an unprecedented situation like this.

9. What is so great about being a human being? Adapting with compassion. And adapting how. The world changed in front of our eyes in just two months. And we have changed how we work, study, parent, cook, multitask, handle our emotions (that one I am still learning!). Gives us a real glimpse into Darwin's theory of evolution which states that all species of organisms arise and develop through the natural selection of small, inherited variations that increase the individual's ability to compete, survive, and reproduce. Whether you are a business, an educator, a homemaker, a CEO - you are being challenged to reinvent how you do what you do. 

10. Time for introspection. In the face of a pandemic, what do you see as emerging as the most important aspect of your life? In the face of seeing so many people my age with perfect little families being taken away by a little virus, I am thinking of the end of my life often. Everything that I have been collecting, the drama of my life, the heaviness of my conditioned ego.... everything has the potential to just fall away, by a tiny little microbe. What else can be a greater teacher? I am thinking of my parents back home, my childhood memories and everything in between. I am asking myself often...what is important while I am here?

I cannot imagine the grief of folks who have lost loved ones, so I hope I am not preposterous in saying that I am trying to learn intently what this pandemic is really saying. And I think it's trying to say a lot...

My best to you, 

P