A moment of fun for some, a lifelong wound and scar for others…
2020, what a year! For many it has been about conflict, illness, fear and grief; loss of lives, dreams, opportunities, loss of a deep rooted sense of safety – perhaps having been taken for granted before. For others it just has been a “normal” or even successful year.
In 2021 we will need a lot of kindness and patience with each other, with all those different stories in the background.
For me, it was a year of extremes and of balancing opposites, connected with welcoming change and new opportunities, saying goodbye to unhelpful old beliefs and habits as always, but also a deep sadness about ill relatives and friends and the state of the world. Surprisingly, at the same time, often a profound sense of joy, no matter what life was throwing at me. This year more than ever I realised that I am not my pain, I am not my fear. Despite the hurt and the suffering, there is a core deeply inside, untouched and unaffected. “The body keeps the score, but the soul is undestructible.”
However,
if we are not our suffering, our pain, our body, what or who are we?
If you are not in the mood for deep reflections after such a year, that’s fine. Just put up your legs and relax. If you are like me, a year like 2020 makes you want to dig even deeper. This is an invitation to join me with reflecting on “Mac” Macartney’s following three questions. Mac is an international speaker and changemaker. He was mentored by indigenous people over many years and is the founder of Embercombe.
Question 1: What is it that I most deeply and profoundly love?
There are easy answers for this question, like our family, children and so on. But perhaps you want to go deeper and beyond the obvious….
Question 2: What are my deepest and most profound gifts?
Perhaps you connect your gifts with your job and your qualifications, but this could be a far deeper inquiry. Your findings could even become scary. Imagine what would be happening if you developed your gifts even more and brought them forward in your life…
Question 3: What are my deepest and most profound responsibilities?
Again, that needs some exploring. Is this just old fashioned stuff? How far does our responsibility go? What’s your definition of responsibility? Does it include your neighbours’ wellbeing? Nature? People at the other side of the planet?
Who are you after having explored those questions?
I wish you a Happy New Year 2021…
…a healthy, creative, meaningful and more joyful 2021, with hope and new opportunities – with less “social” distancing and masks needed, and plenty time together with people you love.
With very warm wishes, Jutta
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Image: Jutta Nedden
©Jutta Nedden, YourInnerPeacemaker, Lead and Connect Ltd., 12/2020