I try to be mindful of the energy I bring to our home now that we are spending more time in it. Some days I’ll take an extra long walk in the woods with our dog so I can let go of any feelings I might not want to bring home with me. I am not concerned about my feelings having a negative impact on the woods. An alternative healer once assured me that the Great Mother could handle any emotions I brought Her way. It was good to hear that I didn’t have to worry about burdening the Great Mother, as I sometimes used to worry about burdening my own mother.
This same healer suggested that a good way to let go of negative feelings was to write them down on leaves and bury them in the ground. This wasn’t something that was ever discussed in graduate school when I was learning to be a psychologist. The field of psychology does not accept the benefits of writing down feelings on leaves and burying them in the ground, because it can’t be supported by scientific evidence. A lot of meaningful experiences can’t be scientifically proven, since it’s hard to quantify meaning. Most people don’t really care about scientific evidence when it comes to their happiness. They just want to feel at home within their own skin.
A loving home can help you feel at home within your own skin and feeling at home in your own skin can help you create a loving home. It is a good time for both feeling at home within your own skin and creating a loving home—since the world is moving at a slower pace. I find it is moving at a perfect pace for clearing out flowerbeds and planting flowers. I planted flowers a few weeks ago and have enjoyed watching them blossom and beautify our home. Flowers are so impressive to me. They are as impressive as Michael Jordan, even though they haven’t won any championships and no one has made a ten-hour documentary about them.
I think if I interviewed a flower for a documentary I would ask it how it managed to express its beauty so consistently. You never hear of a flower hating itself because someone convinced it that it was ugly or worthless. I don’t think flowers hate each other either, even though there are some invasive plants that don’t have a clue about how to share space. I will never act like an invasive plant in our home, because I want it to be a place that allows for all of our growth. I sometimes think of our world as a home during these troubled times. It is always upsetting to witness fighting in your home. It always makes you feel unsafe when you are related to someone who is unsafe. Our current crisis keeps reminding us how closely we all are related. I pray for peace now more than ever. I also listen to my wife tell me how we need political action and not just prayer.
