We all had an unbelievable 2020 with the global coronavirus pandemic and the associated heightened sense of anxiety it generated. And while we will continue to fight the pandemic in 2021, 2020 taught me some valuable lessons to hold on to tight moving forward.
The biggest lesson for me was how to cultivate a spiritual life. As a lot was lost on the material end, a lot more was gained on the spiritual side. A huge breakthrough was to learn to love being in my own company. To be at ease and at peace with being just alone with me. No face-to-face interactions with other people as lockdowns came and and we hankered down for months. I learned to love myself not, in a selfish kind of way but in a self-care approach. Being kind to myself, quieting the soft but insidious and negative voice in my head that says, “you’re not good enough”, honoring my body with nutritious food and doing regular exercises, especially walking in nature.
Letting go of old pleasures such as shopping for clothes and instead shopping my closet and discovering beautiful pieces I own was a revelation. In other words, simplifying life around material possessions and opening up as a direct result a space to develop a spiritual life.
I found time to meditate in the morning because I was not rushing to the office anymore and could spare 5-15 minutes in meditation. Meditating at bedtime to let Source know grateful I was for the day and reading up on spiritually oriented books.
My wish for 2021 is to practice a more heart-centered and kindness-filled spiritual practice and show up in the world with heart and kindness for myself and my fellow human beings and all the creatures on this planet. I don’t see how else to be, because I’m learning how sweet spirituality is and I love how it feels.
