How Far Out Can You Go?

Wherever you are, and however you are doing, as Sean shared on Sunday, you are loved, and it is enough.  

In my reflection Sunday, I shared how my partner and I had acccidentally started to think too far ahead. I say it like this because I’ve found that a core spiritual practice these days is to plan in small segments.

Segments that help rather than hinder a sense of joy, and resilience.

It’s somewhat of a spiritual cliche to talk about “one day at a time,” but in these times, I’ve found it to be a life-saving mantra.  Some days, I’ve found it’s more like “one hour at a time.”

For example.  The middle of this week, Colorado’s Governor told us what we mostly all knew but wished would be otherwise: schools will remain closed and online at least through April 30th, and likely won’t re-open this school year.

When I think about sustaining online school with my kids, while also working, and maintaining our home for the next 8 weeks – it becomes overwhelming to the verge of despair.  But when I think just about tomorrow.  The small goals we have together.  The small lessons we are building in every day to learn new things together. I’m ok.  We’re ok. One day at a time.

This practice doesn’t take away dreaming about the future. We are cultivating lots of dreams about the future in these times – all the places we want to go, all the people we want to hug.  It more keeps us grounded in the here and now, especially in the midst of all that is uncertain.  It helps turn us to gratitude, and to the things we have a say in, the ways we can listen for and partner with courageous love – as it is unfolding in our own lives, as they really are.

So for this week, I’d invite you to think about how far out you can go in your thinking without compromising your connection to life in its fullest sense. How far out you can imagine before you lose sight of joy, or gratitude.  And then just stay in that place.  Balanced with the dreaming of the far-out-future long after this crisis has past, and the world we will cherish even more, then.

This practice of being fully present to life in the here and now is one of the practices of what it means to live while also being aware of our mortality. It’s a theme that we’ll be exploring over the next few weeks, and it’s especially relevant in these days of increasing illness, dealing with grief, and navigating so much change.  I hope you’ll join us – and invite your friends from all over the world! – this Sunday at 9 by Zoom, or 11 on Facebook or on the website.  See you there.

With love,
Rev. Gretchen