First, I want to thank and acknowledge our guest blogger for last week’s Happy Monday, Annie Zalezsak. Annie stepped in with her lovely article when I was away at the Centers for Spiritual Living annual convention and business meeting that was held in Indian Wells, California last week. I love hearing from our community members and having guest writers. If you’d be interested in contributing a blog post, please let me know: revgord@shaw.ca.
If you remember, in my last blog post, I was teetering on whether going to the convention was a wise idea or not. I was also contemplating cancelling a cruise we’d had on our calendars for over two years. Well, it turned out I did go to the conference, and Kenn and I cancelled our cruise. Even though I’m lamenting not being out on the ocean waves as I sit here, it was probably the right decision.
I’m also delighted we did forge ahead with going to the convention and I realize not everyone would have made that same choice. The event coordinators, BDI Events team, did a stellar job of ensuring as many safety precautions as they could. They had everyone who’d planned to attend either be double vaccinated or to have taken a Covid test prior to travel. Then, before handing over the registration materials, everyone had to re-test, and prove a negative result. Masks were required everywhere and they were very innovative in creating seating that accommodated everyone’s personal social distancing needs. The community lunches were held outdoors. (Hooray for Southern California weather!) Also, as I shared yesterday at our service, they provided colour-coded lanyards that allowed us to choose what kind of contact we were comfortable with. There was a red one to keep maximum social distance; an orange one for showing you were comfortable to talk together but no hugging; and then there was the green one which meant “I’m okay even with hugging”. I was kind of a middle-of-the-road person, as indicated by my “let’s talk but no hugs” lanyard. I thought it was brilliant.
What’s starting to come to my mind is that we are living in different times that are going to call for us to adapt with new strategies to fit different situations if we want to start to move back out into our worlds. More and more, I’m hearing that the pandemic is moving to being an endemic, meaning it’s likely going to be with us in some way, and won’t ever be completely eradicated from our lives. This means we’ll be required (at least for the foreseeable future) to adapt to the new requirements — things like the recommendation to wear masks, wash our hands, social distance and to have Covid testing to leave and re-enter our country. (Kenn and I had the bonus of also being randomly selected to take an additional test once we got home.)
Now, I know not everyone is happy with these measures and maybe even some aren’t willing to abide by them; but for myself, I’m willing to do what’s required to move about in our world of today. I’m willing to choose my freedom to move around and to do what’s necessary to do that. I’m sure most of us remember prior to 9/11 when there was no such thing as CATSA (Canadian Air Transport Security Authority) or the TSA in the U.S. I’m sure most of us remember when smoking was okay everywhere and now we’re quite comfortable accepting that there’s no smoking indoors anywhere. We now unconsciously buckle up every time we get in a car. (I’m old enough to remember me and my two brothers rolling around together in the back seat of my dad’s car.) I could go on and on. I’m sure you all know what I’m getting at.
Maybe not all of you feel the same. Personally, I want to do what regains my freedom while our society does its best to keep us as safe as possible. (I know there are some people who don’t think that Covid is a real thing at all, but that’s a different story.) I am also wise enough to know there are no guarantees. That’s this thing called Life. I love it enough to live it for the highest and best of myself and all those around me.
Peace and many blessings, Dr. Deborah
If you missed yesterday’s talk given by Amanda Pope, RScP, titled Question Everything, But Ask Good Questions, you can watch it (and other past services) on the CSLK YouTube channel.
MIND-FULL MOMENT
“A kite needs to be tied down in order to fly. I learned how important restrictions can sometimes be in order to experience freedom.”
— Damien Rice
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