For the majority of the time I have been placing columns in the community’s beloved Coast News, I have been encouraging readers to go and check out landmarks and visit areas of interest or businesses I have found with a spiritual slant.
With the current restrictions on travel and the need to distance, many businesses have ramped up into the virtual world. They are offering classes, encouragement, products, delivery, and opportunities to give back to the community. They are also asking the community to help support them so that when we get to the other side of this global event that has put us in sequester, they will still be there for us. And that includes this paper.
“One day at a time,” a famous cliche from 12-step programs, seems to be the ultimate mantra for our current reality. Along with acceptance. A lot of acceptance. Powerlessness also comes to mind. Surrender. These, along with healthy spiritual practices of prayer and meditation to stay centered and devout in our knowing that “this too shall pass.”
The truth is that none of us knows what is going on, and we never really did. Oh, we had our set schedules and control over our own orbits as we meshed with societal norms.
Now that we have had our wings clipped and are locked in our respective cages, we come to find out; we are just fumbling toward ecstasy. The pursuit of happiness. Life, liberty…freedom. All the things we find now that we may have taken mostly for granted. Even picking up a Coast News.
I have found that I had three hobbies: eating at restaurants, shopping at non-essential stores, and touching my face. I have also found that I was exhausted, and I needed this break — not only from my social life but from the rat race of life.
Before I moved to Mexico several years ago, I had reached a high status in my real estate business. It became too much for me to maintain unless I wanted to become a machine. I longed for the day when I could toss my cell phone into the Pacific Ocean.
I did go to that other extreme for a time while living south of the border, and it took a long time to get off the treadmill of the fast-paced lifestyle of a high roller. It was amazing to experience a more straightforward, slower pace of life. I found a piece of heaven on earth during my time there.
When I moved back, it didn’t take long to get right back on that treadmill. I etched those experiences that touched my consciousness, those moments and experiences that brought me joy. Right now, I can feel myself sitting in the sun overlooking the ocean, just as I can visualize myself at the SRF gardens. Or finding magic in my own backyard today. It’s how I hold on to the good and go with the flow of life.
So my advice to you now, as we are all going through the same thing, is to enjoy this time. Enjoy being at home and putzing around — quiet in your thoughts and communing with the God of your understanding. Finding your real purpose in life isn’t in a crowded shopping mall. It’s found in quiet contemplation.
Be still and know. Seek first the kingdom. The rest shall be added. Can you wait for it? Can you know and trust that the best is yet to be? Can you visualize it and feel it into being true for you? Our thoughts create our reality. Change your thinking, change your life. It’s always been about perception.
In the meantime, here is a list of local spiritual offerings going strong on the interweb and Zoom. These are from some of my past columns. Give where you can of yourself and your kind donations. Continue to order from the eateries you love, and that need you to keep coming back.
Be safe and be well, and most of all, be patient, kind and compassionate to yourself and others. We are all trudging the same road now. Find your piece of heaven. Take the time to appreciate this short life we’ve been given to live. It truly is a beautiful life. It’s going to be okay. I love you all.
California Institute for Human Sciences — offering free meditations, sound healings, and more. www.cihs.edu
Danielle Hering — Much needed breathwork sessions. www.thrutheheart.com/events
Four Moons Spa — lots of exciting virtual offerings. www.fourmoonsspa.com
Seaside Center for Spiritual Living — offering daily noontime meditations, free sacred circle classes and Sunday services. www.seasidecenter.org
The Momma Yurt — more breathwork and personal life coaching. www.heatherlindemenn.com
Inn at Moonlight Beach — offering sanctuary and shelter-in-place options at discounted rates. www.innatmoonlightbeach.com
If you or your company are offering a particular service for this unprecedented time, please contact me so we can get your information up on our community bulletin. The Coast News is working hard to keep the information coming to our beloved community in this time of need.
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2 comments
Thank you so much! I love that you are so generous with your experience. Thank you, and all of you at the Coast News for providing these resources.
Great reminders of the need to slow down and ACCEPTANCE! Thank you for the online resources as well.
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