Priorities in Perspective

Dear friends,

My Cards for Remembering will arrive next week... maybe.

In the second half of last week, I communicated again with the project manager to ask when I might expect the new decks. The answer: they'd be shipped early the week of October 3. The news that they'd arrive even later than I had expected brought new disappointment. Anxiety also arose in me, as I was expecting to have the decks for Saturdays with Spirit on October 8th and will be doing some traveling after that. What if they don't arrive before the event or before my travels?

Practicing acceptance didn't feel quite as easy as it had earlier in the week. Nevertheless, I worked through the disappointment. I reminded and continue reminding myself that I can put a lot of time and energy into imagining and worrying about all the things that could disrupt my plans or I can put my energy into the hope that my plans will move as expected and that, even if they don't, ultimately, it will all be ok.

Yesterday I contacted the project manager again to see if the ship date is still early next week. I received this message this morning: We still have it scheduled, but I do not have any update. I know we will be closed while the hurricane comes through, so I will need to get you an update as we get closer to that date.

Ah, yes. Right. The manufacturing company is in Florida.

Seeing his message, the arrival date of my decks doesn't seem very important anymore. Any rearranging of plans I may have to do feels pretty inconsequential.

I wrote back and said I hope they remain safe and that they don't experience damage from the storm. I've checked in with others I know in Florida. So far, all are safe and have either evacuated or are hunkered down for what may be coming.

Their well-being is what's important. As I write my mind fills with the many people who are still reeling from tornadoes or floods in Kentucky, hurricanes in Puerto Rico and Cuba, floods in Pakistan, war in the Ukraine, war in too many other places, the ongoing Israeli occupation of Palestine, friends and family, even some of you, who are going through some rough times for a variety of reasons. They, you, we, all beings are important.

May they, you, we, all beings be free from suffering.

May theyyou, we, all beings be free from harm.

May theyyouwe, all beings be free from anger and fear.

May theyyouweallbeings know peace and love.

These are my hopes. May the fulfillment of these hopes, even if incompletely and inperfectly realized, bring us closer to one another.

What are your hopes? How do your hopes guide your actions?

May our hopes guide our actions guide our hopes guide our actions guide...


~~~
Sharing Compassionate Communication is one way my hope guides my action. With that in mind, let me mention a couple of upcoming events: Next Wednesday evening and Thursday during the day (October 5 & 6) I'm offering Compassionate Communication practice sessions. These are a la carte, donation-based events for anyone who wants to hone their skills, ask questions, or otherwise continue to explore the practice in a supported space. On October 20 I'm sharing one of my very favorite Compassionate Communication activities about responding to difficult messages. Experiencing this for the first time was a game-changer for me and I know others have also experienced some big shifts from doing it. Find more information about these and other workshops, classes, and events here.

May you be well.

With care and gratitude,
Cory