Today I give thanks for wake-up falls! Exactly a week ago, I fell. We had just pulled up to our house after church, and it was such an irresistible day that I just had to take a short walk in the fresh snow. I was putting my phone back in my pocket after taking this photo of our neighborhood, when both feet hit a patch of ice under the fresh snow, and BOOM! down I went on my back! The phone flew out of my hand and across the road. But most concerning was that my neck snapped backwards and my head hit the pavement – hard! So hard that my hat was knocked right off of my head.
A long story short: I went to my family practice walk-in clinic early the next morning, and, thankfully, a CT scan revealed no damage. I was seriously shaken, and my head felt fuzzy for a few days, but I was so very lucky. No broken bones or twisted joints. No internal bleeding. No brain damage. Very, very lucky, indeed!
What I suddenly realized today is that we’ve all taken a fall recently, haven’t we? That is, all of us who care about DEI, about immigrants, about LGBTQ+ folks, about the war in Ukraine, the horrors of Gaza, and who, at the same time, believe deeply in our country and the promises and protections of its Constitution. The past few weeks have unleashed one recklessness slam after another against our government – and against the people and institutions we cherish. It’s as though our country hit an icy patch of road and fell, hitting its head on the pavement – hard. And to be honest, I’m certain that our country will not be as fortunate as I was. We may well be left with broken bones, twisted joints, and even serious brain damage to repair!
Today has been a sleety, snowy, and windy day – no attempted post-church walks today. I’ve spent the past hour sitting by a fire and reading through incredibly beautiful spiritual reflections, including this one from Carrie Newcomer’s most recent blog that I’ll quote here:
“I was speaking the other day with a friend who has worked all her very long life for positive change. I’m paraphrasing here, but this was essentially her take on these challenging times and her advice:
Take a breath. Ground yourself in the daily practices and community that sustains you for the long haul. This is not a luxury. This is essential.
Take the time to reflect upon your life, your gifts and your resources. The closer we get to what we love and who we are most deeply and truly, the more potent our contributions become.
Choose a couple of issues to which you feel particularly called. There is simply too much happening for any one person to address it all. It’s ok to narrow your focus so that you don’t get overwhelmed.
Remember, take comfort and have faith. You don’t have to do it all. You only have to do what you can personally do today. Nothing more. Remember there are others working on the issues you cannot personally dive into at this moment. We are many, and we are great with love.”
This is such wise advice. “We are many, and we are great with love.” And, “The closer we get to what we love and who we are most deeply and truly, the more potent our contributions become.”
After a fall, the first thing we must do is take a breath, then reflect and carefully choose our focus. Then we must do what we can each day. It seems so small, insignificant even. But it’s not small and insignificant if I remember that while I am only one person, WE are many – and WE are great with love!
As Jon Kabat-Zinn reminds us: “The little things? The small moments? They aren’t little.”
