Now and then, we find ourselves forced into a position where we need to stop what we’re doing and reflect. That isn’t easy for most of us, since we are constantly on the run, pushing forward to accomplish all we planned for that day or to prepare for the future. That is the crazy way most of us live today.

If you are like me, it takes time to unwind and relax enough to be still and know… who I am, what my role in life is, and what I need to change to reconnect with the best of myself.

Life is so fast-paced that we often complete our tasks unconsciously without a second thought, often to the point that we can’t remember whether we actually completed them. Our minds are so full that we need help organizing our priorities, whether it is handwritten notes or our phones reminding us to do even the simplest things, like “time to bend.” We have become slaves to technology, with emails or texts demanding our attention and input in some form, whether to buy something, grade a person or company’s performance, etc., or other requests that demand a response. We are flooded with someone wanting something from us, so that it becomes nearly impossible for us to become aware of anything other than the merry-go-round we are on.

However, when necessary, the Universe steps in and forces us to reevaluate where we are and what we are doing. That could be an illness, being fired from a job, losing someone dear to us, or other things that affect us and make us stop what we are doing to reflect or make changes. At the time, we may see these happenings as something solely negative. But the Universe knows that for us to live with any true happiness, it goes beyond the false living where things are important, where treating others with disrespect is allowed and even encouraged, and where using personal power for personal gain rather than what is best for all is the norm.

So, how does this be still and know work? We’ve all heard how important it is to meditate. We see ads encouraging us to buy and play special music or to follow specific words during our session. But music and words will never work unless we are in the state of receiving. What do I mean by that?

It is only when we calm our minds and still our thoughts that we can allow our inner thoughts to unscramble and reconnect to the energy from where we originated—the energy of pure love.

With this connection, we can take accountability for our shortcomings without passing the blame onto others, and create a desire to change what needs to be changed to reconnect with what we know to be true and good. It is a healing time. It is a connection to the self and the best part of who we are. It is that inner voice that speaks to us and helps us adjust our motives and our understanding of how best to live.

If you want to BE STILL AND KNOW, make time for yourself to sit quietly, close your eyes, let your thoughts go, and drift back to that inner knowing that you are protected and loved without restraint. Allow yourself to be open to receive what your voice and heart tell you. When you feel an inexplicable peace flow through you, you are connecting to your higher power, the same energy within us all. That sets you apart from allowing negativity to intrude and increases your awareness that we are all one. It is that knowing that will guide your behavior and actions from now on. You simply know you have found your truth by living in the highest energy of love.

Many of us are sitting with ourselves, trying to figure out the best way to fill our time now that any normal routine seems to be out of the question. We live in such turmoil and with impossible situations today that are beyond our control, for the most part!

During COVID-19, some doctors and nurses have been called upon to choose between patients to receive needed care. First responders, not often recognized, include all those who offer everyday services, such as food clerks, post office personnel, garage disposal workers, Uber and bus drivers, and so many more—all at risk.

We are asked not to socialize with others or to do so with restrictions. That alone isn’t easy since socialization is a huge necessity for most human beings’ mental health. We are asked not to be personally affronted when another person refuses to wear a mask. Those people selfishly call it their personal freedom not to wear them, while others, like me, take it as an offensive sign that they don’t care whether they spread the disease to me or anyone else.

And I won’t even get into the divided politics—the accusations, the lies, loss of civility, and more!

So, where does that leave us? With the self-isolation required to keep safe and COVID free, we’re forced to consider where we are in life. Our economy is taking such a hit, and the majority of us are scrambling to keep a roof over our heads and food on our tables, requiring us to look at things differently.

If lack of money seems so inevitable for most of us, what will we come to value? Will community and friendship become more critical? Will we concentrate more on taking care of Mother Earth so that our grandchildren can enjoy clear air? Will we look for ways to help others, or will we not care about anyone but ourselves? Will we be strong enough to withstand the negativity of living today?

We will be facing many choices ahead, and the idea of that causes stress for many of us. So, what can we do to keep grounded and not lose ourselves in the muck? Certainly, one of the easiest things for us to do is to take the time to meditate. Doing so allows us to let things be!

There are times when we are the most powerful by doing nothing—meaning not trying to control everyone and everything in our lives. Clearing our minds allows us to let go of judgment of ourselves and others and begin to look at the possibilities open to us during this period.

I certainly don’t want to proclaim that this is a beautiful period in our lives, but I want to talk about one of the positive things from our period of isolation. This is a great time to do something different—to do something we’ve always wanted to do, but didn’t have the time or made other excuses not to do it.

I was buoyed up by listening to a woman on the radio the other day say that she inherited a piano from her family weeks ago. Although it had been in her home growing up, she’d never learned to play it. Now, with time on her hands, she was doing something she always wanted to do—take piano lessons.

I have a friend who used to paint portraits and still life. During her hibernation, she has moved away from painting that which already exists to paint what her eye sees and express it emotionally through abstract art. It has opened up a whole new world for her.

One of my neighbors is a schoolteacher, and she is taking the time to finally sit down and write poetry, which she has wanted to do for a long time. This pandemic has opened the space for her to fulfill her dream of becoming a poet, and she is now submitting her poems to be published.

So, the possibilities of fulfilling a wish or hidden desire are there for the asking. It is a time to express ourselves in other ways … it is a time to be grateful to be alive.

When is the last time you did a happy dance?  That dance that reminds you and lets anyone watching you know that life is good?  When is the last time you looked into a mirror and ignored your wrinkles and other marks of living a stressful life and were able to exclaim out loud, “You‘ve got it going, girl?” I mean … said it and felt it?  If it’s been a while, it’s time for you to regroup and get into that space of appreciating who you are.

I know for myself it doesn’t seem to matter how many times I get into a state where I can do my happy dance when events and people do and say things that begin to unravel the appreciation I have for myself.  And I’m not alone.  We are continually reminded that life is all about riding the roller coaster of frequently feeling up and down and experiencing good and bad happenings.  And we find ourselves easily buying into that and are willing to accept that premise as something that is always going to be there and can’t be changed.  Or can it?

The reality is that we live with other people in our lives, whether on a personal level or a more distant or superficial one.  Through the media, we have become acquainted with what is going on worldwide and have a bird’s eye view into what other people are doing and saying, which can affect us whether in a significant or very minor way. Much of what we see and hear is negative, bringing us down to worrying about things we have no control over. Therein lies the real issue.  For how can we dance our happy dance with so much in the world going sideways?

I have found the best piece of advice of how we can exist and feel good about ourselves is when we understand our limitations – that it doesn’t make sense for us to claim responsibility for anyone or anything outside our control or influence.  That comes from the AA serenity prayer,  “God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.”  For me, this says it all. 

When we realize that happiness begins and ends within our own power of being, we can become happy, self-assured, confident, and worthy of good self-esteem.  And that increases each time we can put ourselves to bed at night knowing we have done the best we could during the day to live up to that prayer.  That doesn’t mean we won’t have days wishing we could have a do-over because we are human and not perfect in all our choices.  So, my friend, use some of these words from the Happy Dance song and create your own happy dance:

Hey, yeah, you
In the back of the room with those concrete shoes
It’s okay to cut loose
Oh, it ain’t about how you move, but what moves you
We’re so consumed with what we think we’re supposed to be
That we stop living like we know that we’re free.