Finding Beauty Amidst the Chaos

I’m sure if you’ve been on the internet lately, I’m sure you might have seen this quote going around. 

“And the people stayed home. And read books and listened, and rested and exercised, and made art and played games, and learned new ways of being and were still.

And listened more deeply. Some meditated, some prayed, some danced. Some met their shadows. And the people began to think differently. And the people healed,

And in the absence of people living in ignorant, dangerous, mindless, and heartless ways, the earth began to heal. And when the danger passed, and the people joined together again, they grieved their losses, and made new choices and dreamed new images, and created new ways to live and heal the earth fully, as they have been healed.” 

-Kitty O’Meara 

When I first saw this going around, I was like “YES!”, that’s it. It resonated with me so much because this is what I’ve been trying to get across in my blog posts about being “less busy”. 

When we were living in Australia, I guess you could say in a way we had some practice with this whole “social distancing” thing. We didn’t have a lot of friends, Adam and I spent a lot of time together. We had more time to hang out and read books and play games and walk by the ocean and talk and drink wine. We didn't fill our schedules 24/7 with happy hours and other social commitments. While we were living there, we really learned to enjoy life a little bit more. 

being comfortable with the unknown

Australia is also a place where I learned to become more comfortable with the unknown. When we touched down in Sydney for the first time, we didn’t know where we were going to be living, or how to open a bank account or get credit card to because we didn’t have a credit history there. We didn’t know what phone provider to go with or what type of internet to hook up. We didn’t know that we needed more money than we brought over with us so we could pay our first month’s rent at our apartment. We didn’t know where to grocery shop or purchase furniture or how the heck we were going to get the furniture up the stairs and into our apartment with just the two of us. We didn't know all of the adventures we’d be in for or that we’d be flying home for birthdays and weddings and funerals. 

There was so much unknown when we were there; and as I learned to rely on God a little more, to pray more and appreciate more and journal more and get to know myself better - I began to give up a little bit of that notion that I had to be in control of everything going on around me. I guess living in Australia makes me feel a little bit like I’m prepared for living in a state of the unknown. 

how are you going to use your time?

I’d never be writing about this to make you feel like I’m bragging because “I know everything” - I most certainly don’t know even close to everything. However, I’m writing this because I’m hoping that in some little way we can take this “self-quarantine” time at home, whether you’re living by yourself or with a spouse or roommate or family - to actually appreciate being “home”. To spend time together really talking. Spend some time together dreaming. Spend time laughing and watching old movies and playing board games. To take the time away from the craziness of sports practice and meetings and our social lives to re-get to know ourselves and each other. To use all of our extra energy self-reflecting and caring for ourselves and for our families. 

It’s so easy to go through the motions of life and to stay busy doing everything on our calendars and forget who we really are. It’s easy to forget what our values are, and we can so easily forget that in order to be an entire being, there’s more to life than getting our full sense of self-worth through our careers. It’s so easy to forget that our lives are made up of our physical environment, careers, family & friends, significant others, fun & recreation, health, money and faith. So, let’s ask ourselves, what areas of life have we been neglecting, and what can we use this extra time to focus on right now? 

Side note: (If you want to do an exercise to help you get really clear on this right now, I suggest downloading this little tool from my favorite coach Ang Stocke). 

relinquishing control

I know right now the world seems like it’s a really scary place. The world is shutting down around us. Many of us have our own businesses or work for a business that is plummeting due to the state of the world. There are many of us out there who are legitimately concerned about how we are going to pay our bills and how we are going to make it through these times. About how we are going to continue to work and educate our children from home. We are worrying about how we are going to get to the grocery store to feed our families without being exposed and whether or not they are going to close down. These are all legitimate concerns, and you are allowed to feel scared and uncertain and uncomfortable. But, instead of staying stuck in that space - I recommend journaling, or praying, or digging into your brain and heart and focusing on those little creative ideas that you’ve shoved back there for a rainy day - now more than ever is a time to bring them out. 

Right now we are being tested. We have also been given this gift that so many of us constantly ask for: more time. Right now we have it - so how are you going to use it? 

Sending so much love, positive vibes and prayers for health and safety to you all during this time. 

xo,

Katie

here are some pretty pictures from australia that make my heart happy.