16/03/2020
As Physical Harmony Ibiza takes a short break The Empowerment Warrior is here to keep the mind healthy and resilient against the dreaded v-word.
I am not talking here about the economic or political sense, I am thinking more in respect of how we has human operate, interact and view the world around us.
As you may know I live on Ibiza, a small island part of Balearic Islands in Spain and as we fall under Spanish rule (currently, but that is another story), we are currently under full lock-down and it has got me wondering if this is the answer to my prayer that I have been waiting for.
You know the one, the prayer to say when you feel so overwhelmed and confused that you wish the world could just stop turning for a couple of weeks to let you catch your breath and get some of that s**t off your to-do list.
I think we have all been there at some point. Well, could it be that the Spanish Royal Family, Government and Covid-19 have just done that for me?
Yes, I may have the girls off school for the next 15 days, but their teachers have been proactive. They have ensured that class, or a new form of class can continue virtually during normal school hours. My heart goes out to those with younger children and toddlers for whom nursery or school provides a much needed and deserved break from the onslaught of children and their constant needs.
I am unable to go out which, yes, is a bit of a hindrance and I will miss going out for a walk or sitting by the sea watching the waves gently rolling in and out reminding me that life is a constant inflow and outflow of breath, but I do have a terrace with an amazing view and the ability to feel the sun on my skin and breath fresh air.
We are allowed out for essential trips such as food, the pharmacy and a few other interesting reasons. But, hopefully, as we can’t go out and they know it, the requests from my girls to go to the park/shops/biking will be minimal. A full on 0 is too much to ask, if they can’t remember to empty their school bags at the end of each day after this long, I am factoring in a few moments of absent-mindedness in this area… I might count it; the information could come in useful later on!!!
My work can be online, so as you long as my clients have internet access and a device that will connect to it I can still do what I love and help people find a sense of calm, strength and joy through confusing and scary times.
I am choosing to view all that time that is usually taken up with the school run, the shopping, finding a parking space and all the other little actions that seem to fill up my time and devote it to doing all the little tasks I have been putting off like updating my website, creating a meditation challenge and creating a few other little goodies that I have been brewing up, clearing out the linen cupboard and teaching the girls to cook (they are going to take responsibility for making one meal each day which lightens my load by half).
I have found the imposed restrictions on my movement strangely liberating. Suddenly I do not have to be anywhere else. I can’t be anywhere else. I may as well just surrender and enjoy the moment. I may as well just be totally 100% present in what I am doing as I do it as there is plenty of time to do everything I want and need to do. And what I want and need to do has been dramatically stripped back to the real needs.
I don’t doubt that I will have moments of doom and gloom at time during the next 15 days, I love my morning walks and they are one of my top priorities for my sanity but I am sure I can find something to temporarily fill this hole. And when I do it will be one more tool I have in my toolbox should I ever need it.
We are lucky though; we live in the digital age. When my grandparents lived through WW2, they did not have WhatsApp groups or FB or the numerous other ways we do to with which to find out what is going on to loved ones near and far. We have seen and heard about it from our grandparents, films and books, that when times get tough, people come together.
I have experienced it during various massive misadventures of the Cypriot government over a few years which led to the supply of some of our most relied upon resources, water, electricity and money being cut for long periods of time (I am talking months here not hours here folks!).
Communities come together. Where before, people were blind to the struggles of others, now, being in this struggle together brings out empathy, compassion and a sense of togetherness that is so uplifting it can actually makes these times the most enjoyable times of all. We don’t need to be physically together to be able to be there for each other, we can still have coffee, lets do it by skype or zoom or any of the other ways in which we have nowadays. The groups I have now are all about helping each other, supporting those in need with deliveries of food or medicines, nightly meditations, virtual yoga classes, bootcamps, recipe ideas, the list goes on. It is in these times we discover where we can contribute to our society in any way we can, and this is going to be amazing in the long run for us all.
I am looking forward to seeing what I learn during the next 15 days, about myself, at how I have let life run me rather than me running through it at my own pace.
I am looking forward to enjoying the view, allowing my senses to fully absorb as many moments as I can, being grateful for the community I have around me and at seeing what I can allow to fall, those habits, thoughts and distractions to live a more enjoyable and calmer life.
Yes, life will never be the same again, and yes, the financial repercussions could be horrendous, we will take a hit, but again, nothing is permanent.
I have surrendered to the things that I cannot change and am changing the things I can.
If you could stop time for 2 weeks what would you with it?
*My heart goes out to those who are not as fortunate as we are during this time, those who are 4 in a 2 bed flat, those who do not have a terrace, those living alone or those living with partners and spouses. If there is anything you think I might be able to help with please ask in a DM or WhatsApp and I will see how I can help.
