Whether you celebrated Passover, Easter (or just springtime and chocolate!), I wanted to provide you with a gentle, easy-to-complete framework for personal reflection. Yesterday morning, mid-way through the week of Passover and on Easter, I woke up in a thoughtful mood and with a heavy heart.
We are living through a disorienting juxtaposition of a season that is supposed to be a celebration of rebirth, renewal and growth, while being stuck in our homes, scared for our livelihoods and witnessing a great deal of suffering. While we suddenly have more time to pursue our dreams and desires than ever before, we are also worried about the environment and what the future holds. Even if you can’t manage to do anything “extra” right now, you can take a few moments for yourself and reflect on your personal experience right now.
Many years can go by where we gleefully run through each season of life without the opportunity to actually pause, take the moment in, reflect, and decide if we are on a path we enjoy. Life is so hectic, it feels nearly impossible to take the time to even gauge how we actually feel about it. Who has time for that luxury? Well, chances are you finally have at least a little bit more time to take a look at where your life has been going up until now.
So many of us avoid reflection, because it is often used as an excuse to berate ourselves over our mistakes, missteps, and missed opportunities. In order to help you steer clear of that trap, I have laid out a few questions that encompass the past, present, and future. In the spirit of the season, I highly encourage you to “spring clean” your life with these questions. If you can’t make changes right now (for any number of reasons), I’d encourage you to take the smallest step in the right direction. The first step is to begin asking better quality questions.
Q1. What is asking to be reborn or resurrected in my life?
Have you had a dream die that needs to come back to life? Have you allowed parts of yourself to lay dormant that need to return? Do you need to renew your source of hope in the future? What would help you do that?
Q2. What needs to be put to rest? What do I need to let go of?
Conversely, do you need to bury a dream that no longer feels right? Do you need to let go of old beliefs that no longer serve you? An old grievance?
Q3. What new things are asking to come forward? What do I need to allow?
What new feelings and desires are emerging during this time? Who would you like to be on the other side of this time of crisis? What do you want to be doing? What do you value the most?
What do you need to allow yourself the time to do when things go “back to normal”?
BONUS: Lastly, if you are open to this concept, you can also ask: “What direction is G-d / Universe / Higher Power guiding me towards?”
I hope your answers to these questions provide new insight and a bit more courage to take a baby step in the right direction. I believe you have the answers inside of you, even in a time of chaos and fear. You just have to get quiet... and get honest.
In love and light,
Katherine