What is most important at this time?

LIFE can be a roller coaster. There are few certainties. Growing up, when tax rates in Ireland were extremely high, I often remember the line that the only certainties in life are death and taxes.

With insurance, we try to protect ourselves from the snakes and ladders of life, but it has its limits as COVID19 is showing us. No insurance can protect you from catching COVID.

With half the world on lockdown, as our world gets physically smaller and as non-essential travel is restricted, on some level, it feels like we are even more connected as we hear and share stories of how people around the world are coping with the rapid change and challenges of COVID19.

People who are never or rarely on social media are now using it (including myself ). Many are connecting with people from our past and present and making new friends.

Some are choosing to take a step back from everything to take time out and relook at things. Some because of the nature of what they do are stepping up and forward. Some are doing both.

Some make us smile sharing pictures and stories of themselves in Balaclavas or how they are playing board games and enjoying dinner parties and coffee sessions with friends and colleagues through zoom.

There are singathons and challenges to share and writes songs. There are people sharing exercise videos and lots of facebook lives about everything under the sun. Others are doing online meditations.

There are so many diverse and wonderful things happening. But what is common is that mother nature is giving us a chance to relook at our lives and decide and shine a light on what is most important.

People are recognizing the important work of healthcare and supermarket workers and others on the front line who are making the essential parts of life and living possible for all of us.

People are less focused on material matters and looking good and more on what they deem important–whether it is family, friends, health or helping others. Sharing our unique gifts is a key part of what is important for all of us in life.

As Pope Francis said recently: ‘It is a time to choose what matters and what passes away, a time to separate what is necessary from what is not.’

A friend sent me this beautiful poem. It goes through the spectrum of emotions that we feel in self-isolation. The lady that wrote it, Katy O’Meara, a writer who felt helpless in the face of corona sat down and did what she was good at – writing.

It has since gone viral with so many sharing it – from Oprah to Deepak Chopra. Being interviewed about the poem she said: ‘We have gifts.

It’s a good reminder that whatever your gift is, and however small it is, keep using it. This is a really good time for that.’

The poem touched me. I hope it gives you some inspiration for these times.

And people stayed at home

And read books

And listened

And they rested

And did exercises

And made art and played

And learned new ways of being And stopped and listened

More deeply

Someone meditated, someone prayed Someone met their shadow

And people began to think differently And people healed.

And in the absence of people who Lived in ignorant ways Dangerous, meaningless and heartless, The earth also began to heal

And when the danger ended and People found themselves

They grieved for the dead

And made new choices

And dreamed of new visions

And created new ways of living And completely healed the earth Just as they were healed. Calodagh McCumiskey designs and delivers bespoke wellbeing at work programmes to grow people and companies. She also offers regular meditation classes, personal development workshops and wellbeing consultations to help people thrive

053 9140655 | info@spiritualearth.com | www.spiritualearth.com