Yesterday was a long and busy call day. Throughout the day, we had been speaking about this challenging time with COVID-19. Each time we briefly but briskly walked by the hospital windows, we caught a glimpse of the warm and inviting spring sunshine. When we finally had a brief lull, we decided to take a walk outside—complete with our masks on and maintaining distance.
During our walk, I shared that one way I try to start each day is to be intentional about two or three things that are a silver lining about these times and offer gratitude for them. We started walking up a steep slope. The breeze felt cool against the warm sun. We all took a long deep breath and commented on how thankful we were to just walk outside, something we had not done before.
As we continued, a man in a pickup truck stopped and thanked us for the work we are doing—another novelty, another offering of gratitude. As we braved another slope, two cherry trees laden with blooms caught our eyes—they too were more than six feet apart! A perfect site for a picture, a perfect time to offer another big thank you! A nurse passing by gladly took our picture.
I want to be mindful of my colleagues and their emotions. It is essential for us to be there for each other in a way that is healing. That may even mean offering time to take a break, even in the urban “wilderness” of nearby neighborhood trees in bloom. It’s important to know that none of us are alone.
The wilderness is healing, a therapy for the soul. ~Nicholas Kristof
#REFLECT What allows the wilderness walk of life to promote resilience and grit for the future journey?
How is the coronavirus changing the way you think of self-care, community and resilience? As this challenging time unfolds, I am posting a daily quote on this blog with a reflection prompt. Please join in the conversation here or on Twitter with your thoughts or about what you are doing for self-care and care of others.
Wilderness for the Soul
Yes indeed! We will have a “new normal” as I call it. We are blessed with the virtue of adaptability and our past is a prime example. I hope is that as we journey through this universal challenge we emerge keeping the basic values of humanity, to be in a community where each human being, each of us feels safe, valued, loved and cared for who we are. Let’s start now!
A walk in wilderness, literary and physically, cannot only be refreshing and reinvigorating, it can also provide time and space for introspection and reflection which may not be available in a busy workplace or home environment. Both are necessary to assess past performances, the current status and future planning of life. When we walk in wilderness far from the distractions and deafening cacophony of incessant noise of any sort, our mind too wanders with us in this wilderness and can achieve a state of peace and serenity.
The determination to take such a walk is voluntary with the known perils of the surroundings. This demonstrates the grit and willingness to think things over, to review, reassess and revise. It also shows the readiness to accept resilience, which is the flexibility to accommodate and adjust. The walk provides a breath of fresh air, a cooling and calming breeze and the opportunity to overcome the hurdles of the path. It also teaches us to ever remain alert, mindful of the sneaking predators, and to protect ourselves from the from falls and slips. In summary, a walk in the wilderness prepares us to overcome our fears of obstacles and struggles ahead. Metaphorically, life itself is a walk, through the wilderness, through unchartered waters and territories, with our strength unknown and our future uncertain. The rituals we follow and the relationships that we decide to make on the way become the subjects of reflection and contemplation as we walk forwards in life. Cumulatively, this is called experience which shapes our lives for times to come, helps us to determine how to act and react, whether with the hard grit of determination or the soft and elastic resilience of give and take. One must necessarily walk through the wilderness of life, physically and mentally, for the health of our body, peace and serenity of our mind, and happiness and solace for our soul. A walk in the wilderness can be the best balm for healing of all three, the body, the mind and the soul.