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Oct
21
FEAR IS CONTAGIOUS & SO IS HOPE
Filed Under COVID-19, Election, Fear, Grace, Gratitude, Happiness, Hope, Peace, Tears of a Warrior, Vote | Comments Off on FEAR IS CONTAGIOUS & SO IS HOPE
by Janet J. Seahorn, Ph.D.
There is so much turmoil going on in our country and our world right now. It is hard to find one’s compass to guide us to our best self. Finding our way through the dark takes a great deal of soul searching, patience, and deep examination of our thoughts, beliefs, and values. I must admit over the last many months I have often questioned the direction we are all heading, and it scares me more than a little.
A few days ago, needing a change of scenery and a chance to get away from the toxic smoke of several wildfires in our area, my husband and I along with our two energetic black labs took a day trip up to the Snowy Range in southern Wyoming. While driving through Laramie I noticed two large billboards. One was of Malala Yousafzaui, the young Pakistan teenage girl shot by the Taliban because she was vocal about women’s education; the huge word COURAGE was the message. The second said, “FEAR IS CONTAGIOUS, SO IS HOPE”. Both got me thinking, what else is contagious? What else needs our courage?
Joy, laughter and smiles are contagious and need courage to keep us going. Kindness, compassion, and generosity are contagious. Truth, unity, and goodness can be contagious but in these divisive times will take a great deal of courage. Courage among our leaders to be truthful. Unity to help heal a much divided nation, and Goodness – the goodness and courage it will take every second of every day to keep us grounded in what is important and focused on what is decent.
Protecting our environment will take an intense commitment to do what is right for future generations – even when we won’t be around to participate and hopefully enjoy. Speaking up when necessary and staying quiet when appropriate take courage and may help us not focus on creating more FEAR but growing more HOPE.
In a time when we are angrier and more divided than ever, what will it take to hold our families, our neighborhoods, our country, and ourselves together? It will take each of us holding a higher standard for ourselves and each other that goes far beyond political beliefs. If we are truly “One Nation Under God” or whoever one might call a higher spirit, we can’t merely say the words; we must ACT and LIVE the words.
Yes, Fear truly is contagious, but for me, I will choose Hope, because this is not my United States of America, this is OUR United States of America.
Mar
31
YOU CAN’T QUARANTINE JOY
Filed Under Coronavirus, COVID-19, Grace, Grateful, Gratitude, Happiness, Healing, Hope, Joy Challenge, Love, Tears, Tears of a Warrior, Tears of Joy | Comments Off on YOU CAN’T QUARANTINE JOY
By Janet J. Seahorn, Ph.D.
Several days ago, while watching the endless news about coronavirus I heard a newscaster say something that has stuck with me, “You can’t quarantine tears”. As I thought about this, even when trying to go to sleep and find some semblance of rest during these challenging times, the words kept playing over and over again in my head, “You can’t quarantine tears”. He was absolutely right, you can’t. We can’t quarantine suffering either. Never have and probably never will. We can’t quarantine fear. Fear mainly of the unknown which is far greater than fear of the known. Fear of the known we can see more clearly, put boundaries around, perhaps contain to some degree. But fear of the unknown has an unlimited projectile. It can go on in endless ways and directions. Places that only our unlimited imagination can invent or conceive.
However, the more I thought about these words I realized if we can’t quarantine any of these frightening things, than certainly we can’t quarantine some of the more positive behaviors as well. We can’t quarantine hope. We can’t quarantine kindness. We can’t quarantine love. We can’t quarantine courage. And, just as important, we can’t quarantine joy. So often, we say to ourselves once this virus situation is over, I can go back to being happy, to being joyful. Yet, that is not how the world works. We must choose these behaviors just as we must choose to contain the scary ones. Practicing joy is an exercise in gratitude. Waking up each morning and seeing a beautiful sunrise. Being greeted by two overjoyed, four-legged children whose exuberance in seeing you almost drops you to the ground by their seventy pounds of pure energy. They emulate joyfulness at its fullest. Getting a phone call or text from a family member or friend to remind us that someone is thinking about us each day is joy. Seeing the first signs of spring – green sprouts of grass, daffodils, budding trees, these are all signs of hope, of new beginnings, of joy.
Just as it is true that we can’t quarantine all the horrible things that occur some days, we can’t quarantine the good either. Yet, quarantining the good, the joy, the hope, the kindness… these take more effort and conscious thought. And just as there was a beginning of this coronavirus, there will eventually be an end. There will be a new beginning where people can gather without fear. Where families and love ones can hug each other with even more joy and gratitude than ever before because we now don’t take for granted what was given to us each and every day. This new beginning will offer us greater gratitude in our work, whatever it is, in being able to doing something, anything other than sitting at home, sometimes alone and scared. This new beginning will show us how much we took for granted in the past without ever noticing the gifts right in front of us. As we go forward each day, remember not what we have lost – at least for the time being – but what we have always had and hopefully will have again. Remember to practice hope, kindness, courage, love, and compassion. And, remember, if we choose, we can’t quarantine any of these behaviors and we WON’T quarantine JOY.
Dec
18
Tears and Blessings
Filed Under American Patriotism, Bless Our Troops, Blessings, Christmas, Grace, Grateful, Gratitude, Holiday Season, Homeless, Human Rights, Military, Peace, PTSD, Tears, Tears of a Warrior | Comments Off on Tears and Blessings
By Janet J. Seahorn, Ph.D.
It is a week before Christmas. I absolutely love this time of year. I love the bright lights and colorful ornaments. I love the smells of fir trees and cookies baking in the oven. I love the music reminding me of angels watching overhead, bright tomorrows and Silent Nights, and, for me, the coming of Christ. I love the taste of hot cider, pumpkin pie, and a multitude of holiday fare. Most of all, I love sharing time with family and friends – the hugs of love ones, and even strangers. Smiles, handshakes, a soft touch on a shoulder of a person who may just need to know that someone cares.
Yet, with all the things I love about this season, every year I find myself feeling choked up with both gratitude and tears. Gratitude for all the blessings I have been given and sadness for those who have so little. Perhaps this is the melancholy holiday seasons generate. Perhaps I see the Grinch in many faces, faces that may be suffering deeply from pain, loss, or simple loneliness. Perhaps, more than any wish is one for peace. A wish for true kindness and compassion. A wish that brings all of us together, united in understanding and gentleness.
There is so much divisiveness this year in our world – a division that is tearing us apart and not just in our communities, our country, but the world. Love and compassion is what we have been taught from childhood. Let us not forget our early childhood lessons where we didn’t worry about what a person looked like, how much money they had, or what religion or political party they belonged. As small children, I believe we carried in our hearts the spiritual memory of where we came from.
Maybe this year, we can keep some tears from tumbling from our world’s eyes and hearts. Maybe this year we not only wish for peace on earth but emulate our prayers and wishes by doing what the Christmas song requests – Let There Be Peace on Earth and Let It Begin With Me. And maybe, when we have thoughts that aren’t aligned with this peace, perhaps we can change our thoughts and be more compassionate. Maybe, when we look at that person in need and offer a smile, a cup of warm drink, or something to eat.
And maybe, just maybe, even this one small act of kindness will generate a bigger sense of peace within ourselves, our communities, and our world. And maybe, just maybe, we will become closer to the model of that child born so long ago on that cold night with a bright star shining above his manger.
Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukah, Kwanza and blessing to all.
Nov
20
Being Grateful
Filed Under American Patriotism, Combat PTSD, Dog is God, Dogs, Family, Giving, Grace, Grateful, Holiday Season, Thanksgiving, Thanksgiving, Trooper | Comments Off on Being Grateful
