On Remembering - Little Light No 15
Good morning, how are you? I'm excited because the snow has finally melted and the temperature is above freezing. There's some semblance of spring as the days get a little longer. I'm feeling hopeful and looking forward to warmer days.
Morgan Harper Nichols’ podcast stuck with me this week. In the episode I listened to, she introduced her new book, How Far You've Come, by reading a few poems. She explains how our past experiences large and small shape who we are and it's her reason for writing this book. In the final minutes of the episode, she ended by saying, "If I say to myself, think to your life 20 years ago or 10 years ago I go immediately to the big moments that happen in life, in the world itself. However, there are all these other little moments that, if you really allow yourself to sit with them for a while, you start to see there's a lot more depth to them than maybe we originally give them credit for... There are all these little details that seem so insignificant. But no it's all connected." Her introspective art and poems on Instagram always serve as a reminder to reflect on how far we've come.
You’ve come so far. You are not the same person you were a year ago. None of us are, especially with the year we've had.
To think that it's been a year since we've experienced "normal life" is crazy to me. I remember this time last year I was constantly checking for updates, wondering when my job would make the call that we would be working from home. Truthfully, I was excited because we previously didn't have the option to work from home, but at that moment I did not understand the gravity of the situation. I wrote a blog post about working from home on March 23rd before I even told anyone about my blog. (Look how far we've come) I wrote, "The thought of doing work with the comfort of a couch was ideal but in practice, it is not fun nor relaxing as it seems."
I remember thinking the stay-at-home order would only be 6 weeks.
I remember early on, feeling unmotivated struggling with the fact that hours and days were blurring together.
I remember going to the grocery store without a mask the same day masks were mandated in the state of Pennsylvania. Now, I wouldn't dare leave my house without one.
I remember looking at pictures and videos from cities all over the world. There were no cars, no people, just silence. It was the only moment we may experience when the world was still.
I also remember finding joy in the small things, like going for long walks, getting Rita’s, and finding beautiful parks. I remember stumbling upon a cherry blossom in full bloom, enamored by the space it filled. I remember the smells of spring.
The pandemic brought on a host of negative events, but it also allowed for stillness and quiet. There were many things I would have overlooked, but instead, my attention was drawn to it. Many people said it was as if God eliminated our distractions to help us focus on what mattered the most. The small things we took for granted were amplified.
There are so many experiences that can be easily forgotten simply because we move on so quickly.
Take this with you:
Remembering is active work. We have to sit with a moment to keep it with us. I've taken so much for granted by moving on too quickly. When you're ready, sit with those memories. Take time to remember the small details, the highs, and the lows. "There are little details that seem insignificant, but no they're all connected."
Comment below if you have any thoughts or any answers to the questions I've asked. Please share with a friend! If you aren’t already subscribed to receive this message in your email, you can do so using this link!