I Believe in the Sun (even when it's not shining)
I believe in the sun even when it’s not shining.
I believe in love even when I don’t feel it.
I believe in God even when he is silent.
This is a poem written during World War Two by a Jewish prisoner in a concentration camp. The powerful message of faith and hope in these words have inspired songs that will pierce the veil of your heart.
Maybe you resonate with this poem at this time. Many of us do - given the global crisis we are all dealing with.
If you live in Nashville, you know that our weather lately hasn’t been ‘ideal.’ There has been lots of rain and dreary days, but take this as a reminder to go within instead of being out and about all the time. Yes, I have complained about the weather very much but am making a conscious effort to keep hope alive and continue turning inward. The current weather can be seen as a reflection of what’s going on globally right now. Instead of giving in to the doom and gloom, catapult your energy toward the light. It will come back. It always does.
An opportunity has been given to us at this time – a great opportunity for reflection and change– get off your phone and do something creative. When else would you be gifted this time? Are you going to say YES to this opportunity or continue to behave as the same person you were? I don’t think this time is an invitation to spend more time on our phones. When all of this has blown over, plan to be a better person by the end of it. Not the same.
A recent TED talk highlights the idea that burnout makes us less creative. This is a timely video because maybe being self-quarantined right now is a nice reprieve for you. Maybe you are burned out by life. Use this as an opportunity to recharge.
“Downtime is a necessity for our brain to recover and operate properly,” says digital anthropologist Rahaf Harfoush. “Letting our minds wander is an essential mental state that helps us develop our identity, process social interactions, and it even influences our internal moral compass.”
When was the last time you let your mind wander? Instead of reaching for your phone or turning on the television, give your brain some space. Who cares if ‘so and so’ has a new Instagram story or if your go-to news outlet posted another news article? You could sit all day long and look at that crap. Take time to uncover your own narrative.
Harfoush says, “Let go of destructive behaviors and make positive, long-lasting changes.” She also encourages us to ask ourselves some hard questions:
“Does being busy make you feel valuable?
Who do you hold up as your level of success?
Where do your ideas of work ethic come from?
How much of who you are is linked to what you do?”
LISTEN TO YOUR CREATIVITY. She goes on to say how creativity has its own rhythms and can fluctuate daily. We aren’t machines. Maybe your creative juices are free flowing one day, but the next day you’d rather focus on personal growth and learning by reading books or listening to a podcast. Don’t put your creativity into a box either. Intend to be creative but be careful in forcing it.
Here are some more questions for further reflection:
Who have you been too busy to be?
What have you been too busy to do?
Slow down and reflect. Try and remember a time before we all had cell phones. How would you spend your free time? (Watching t.v. doesn’t count) Besides watching t.v. and scrolling through endless news stories, how can you spend this time more purposely? Delete your social media accounts for a day or two – or forever. Notice how much more space your mind has after doing that. I would know. I’ve deleted my accounts several times. If you don’t delete it, at least give your mind a break from all that chatter and noise.
How have I been spending my time you ask? I have enjoyed being away from my phone, sitting in silence, listening to the faint pitter-patter of rain, and the birds chirping. Just the sound of nature inspires me write again, read more books, do some coloring, and just SLOW DOWN.
Do some forest bathing. Dr. Qing Li’s book, Forest Bathing, talks about the importance of being around nature and how today’s modern lifestyle often distracts us from what we need to stay healthy. “Recent studies have found that people in the U.S. spend as much as 10 hours and 39 minutes a day consuming media” (Li, 2018, p.35). Don’t feed the ‘technostress’ monster - consuming that much media every day is not healthy.
As I was looking at the word ‘FOREST,’ I realized it is comprised of two words: For Rest. Seek nature at this time. What can we learn from her? Let mother nature help you. We are learning (re-learning) how to take more time for ourselves and listen to what we really need.
I will be honest. I have also had my days of lounging on the couch, watching television- catching up on my favorite t.v. shows. There is nothing wrong with that either - as long as we are not using this time at home to do that and nothing else. There is not a lot of forward-moving energy in the atmosphere, so if you don’t feel like being productive on a given day, don’t beat yourself up about it. The overall energy right now does not lend itself to putting in long hours of sheer productivity. It’s difficult enough to try to create a routine and be structured throughout the day - especially when you’re encouraged not to go anywhere except the grocery store.
That being said, if you decide you don’t want to follow your self-mandated routine one day, FINE! Nobody but yourself is making you do that anyway. Be a little bit nicer to yourself. Used to being a busy-body? Now is your chance to be the opposite. When else will you get the opportunity? Sometimes I don’t want to be creative and try to use my brain. So what? That just means the next day I will likely have more energy for that.
Don’t forget that out of the darkness births some of the greatest ideas, inventions, epiphanies, and gives rise to new ways of doing things. If I don’t respond back to your text or answer your phone call right away, do not be alarmed or concerned. More likely than not, I am taking a break from my phone and reconnecting with myself.
Beautiful rendition of “I Believe”
5 minute TED talk: How Burnout Makes us Less Creative
