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Keeping an Open Heart When the Grief of the World is so Heavy
Finding reasons to keep on living
The most valuable possession you can own is an open heart. The most powerful weapon you can be is an instrument of peace. — Carlos Santana
Author’s Note: I wrote this over 2 years ago, but other than changing some of the current events, this is still pertinent. Life remains hard for so many. Some things never change. But we can still practice being an instrument of peace.
The past weeks have been difficult for all of us. I don’t need to recap all the awful things that are happening every day in the world. You know. We all know. Too much. Never in the history of man have we been so tuned in to all the suffering in the world as it’s happening. Our nervous systems are not made for the constant barrage of terrible news. Many of us (maybe all of us?) go into survival mode, exhibiting symptoms of stress, trauma and PTSD.
For me, that manifests as paralysis. I feel numb. I have no energy. I struggle to think clearly. I am unable to make each day what I want it to be. I just bump around like a confused bumblebee bumping around in the garden. I eat things that make me feel even more sluggish. I can’t concentrate on reading the book I have been trying to get through for weeks. I haven’t been able to write because I…
