Tired of Feeling Lost?

Discernment

My grandparent’s dinner table holds one of my fondest memories from childhood. Every Christmas Eve my Grandpa Estock held two small plates – one with slices of garlic and the other with a generous glob of honey. He would stand beside each of us and gently say, “Dip this garlic in the honey and eat it to help you remember the love around this table. So if you ever get lost in the woods you will be able to find your way home.” I have continued this tradition in my own home on Christmas Eve, well aware of all the times in my life that I have felt lost and was able to find my way home.

If there were ever a time that we need my grandfather’s garlic and honey remedy it is now!

Our being lost shows up in our exhaustion, anxiety, grief, frustration, and anger. We are so done with this pandemic and the many ways our lives continue to be tossed by the sea of uncertainty. We long for stability and yet wonder when the next covid surge will come.

It is time to find our way home. But where exactly is that and how do we get there?

The home of which I speak is a quality of deep trust where, as Julian of Norwich said, “All is well, and all manner of things shall be well.” It is being aware that this one precious life is being lived through us. It is an experience of constant wonder and delight with the unfolding of life itself – even the messy parts. When we find our true selves – loved, loveable and loving – and feel our connection with all creatures great and small, we are home.

When we find our true home, time slows down with a sense of spacious delight. We begin to notice beauty in the most unlikely places. We open to compassion for ourselves and others. We are able to sit with messiness and grow wise by it. We open to our innate wisdom and trust in its guidance. In short it is when we seek justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with Love.

There is an ancient practice, called Discernment that helps us to find our way home. This practice looks more like a labyrinth than a straight line, but eventually you find yourself in the heart of it all – grounded, connected, confident, and whole.

If you are longing to find your way home, I invite you to take this journey of discernment with me during the Season of Lent. You can find out more HERE.

Because we all know, there is no place like home….

Saving the Day

The other day I generously let my daughter use my home office for several of her zoom work calls. I was fine working in the living room until I realized that my computer was running out of power and my cord was still plugged in on my office desk.

I gingerly walked to the edge of the French doors of my office and peeked in. My daughter was at my desk in the middle of a heated conversation with a screen full of faces on her computer. And to the other side of her I could see my power cord.

I weighed my options and decided my best way in would be on my hands and knees. Surely, I thought, no one will see me crawl into my office and maneuver myself behind her as I reach up onto the desk and pull my power cord out of the plug.

Crawling in, she did not even turn her head. I thought, “Yes, I can do this!” I crawled behind her, reached up for my cord and made some noise as I pulled it out. I looked up at her to see her reaction. Luckily, she was still engaged in the conversation. Feeling triumphant, I crawled back out and shut the door behind me.

Celebrating our Foolishness

I chuckled to myself as I went back to my computer. The sight I must have been – a 50 something mom crawling on her knees like a little kid sneaking sweets from the pantry. I really felt like I had gotten away with something!

It was only later in the day that my daughter showed me some of the emails that she had received from the people on the call.
One colleague wrote, “I wanted to say that whoever it was in your home that made an appearance in the Zoom meeting should be notified that they saved a meeting that was spiraling out of control towards train wreck status. She sure alleviated everyone’s spirits. I know that I was on the brink of a nervous breakdown. Lol Please send my thanks her way!”

Moral of the story: Sometimes our biggest fear of making a fool out of ourselves may be the best gift we can offer our team or our daughter’s team! After all, life is too serious to be taken seriously. # bethehero #foolsforthewin