The Grace of Allowing

I don’t know about you, but I weep…daily. I have been for a while now, and I’m OK with that. In fact, I highly recommend it! I might even go so far as to say if you’re not crying on a daily basis you’re simply not paying attention. Weeping is my most frequent response to the heartbreaking reality we find ourselves living in.

During the past several months, we have witnessed: Heartbreaking loss of life Heartbreaking loss of employment Heartbreaking loss of physical connection Heartbreaking loss of lifestyle Heartbreaking loss of time-honored rituals

But it’s not all sad because we have also witnessed: Heartbreaking courage Heartbreaking kindness Heartbreaking generosity Heartbreaking creativity Heartbreaking support

I have been deeply affected by the strength of the human spirit; of people putting their own lives at risk to care for others, parents reconnecting and spending more focused time with their children, teachers going above and beyond for their students online, and the list goes on and on. Beneath all of this struggle, loss, and pain, we have found the beauty of home once again. With this backdrop, our emotions may be all over the place. And I’m here to remind you that’s OK. Whatever you’re feeling right now is perfect for you. You might be a crier like I am. You might be fighting mad. Or you might just feel confused and uncertain. Now is the time to give yourself the grace of allowing – allowing yourself to feel exactly how you feel. Take a moment. Breathe into the moment. Whatever emotion you have will calm down if you simply allow it to be. That’s all it wants or needs.

Things will eventually get better, maybe even far better in a new way that none of us could have conceived of even a few short months ago. But if you feel like crying, I’m right there with you. And I’m going to allow every single tear because I feel more connected to myself and others when I allow them to flow. Leonard Cohen said, “There’s a crack in everything. That’s how the light gets in.” There is not just a crack in our lives right now; there’s a major fault line breaking our hearts wide open. I hope you choose to allow the light to flood in with courage, kindness, generosity, and support. If that’s all we can do, it will be more than enough.