"SOFTEN, SOOTHE, AND ALLOW DIFFICULT EMOTIONS" WITH MINDFUL.ORG

I am safe

I am home

I am well

And at ease

Now repeat.  I am safe, I am home, I am well, and at ease.  And again. 

 

This is a mantra I recited this morning in my guided meditation.  I woke up feeling none of these things; home yes, but not home in my heart.  Certainly not at ease, not particularly well, not safe for our country and the future.  Feeling depressed.     

The problem is living in the reign of Presidents Musk and Trump.  A family member who is a Federal worker is certain she will be fired.  The large refugee family our church supports is fearful.  Friends' transgender daughter receives important medical care that may/will be denied. You probably have your own stories.  

Even those who voted for Trump--but not Musk--must have noticed that none of life's basics are more affordable, not gas or milk or eggs.  And Breaking News: Musk is closing the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, a watchdog against predatory financial practices.  

So with a heating pad and a couple of Advil for my aging back, I decided to pray and meditate.  I logged on to Mindful.org, which is free and filled with good things.  I chose a 15-minute mindfulness practice to "Soften, Soothe, and Allow Difficult Emotions."  Then after that, a practice to "Guide You Beyond Crisis Mode."  Somewhere during this quiet time listening to a soothing voice, I heard the words, "I am safe, I am home, I am well, and at ease."  The mantra didn't objectively change what the country is facing, not the chaos and cruel extremism.  But it did change my ability to cope today.  Because with breath slowed, heart no longer racing, and fears in perspective I was able to realize my own small place and that for today at least I am in fact safe and able to act to resist the emotions our co-presidents are working so hard to instill.  

After the meditations and hot tea, I was ready to read the news.  I saw that a Reagan-appointed federal judge in Seattle has issued a nationwide injunction blocking the executive order to strip birthright citizenship from children of undocumented parents.  Another federal judge blocked the rollout of a budget freeze meant to halt payments due grant and aid recipients. The effort to force transgender women into men's prisons (can you imagine what would happen to those women?) has been blocked as unconstitutional.  A major lawsuit has been filed to stop Trump from dismantling USAID--which feeds starving survivors of war, famine and genocide all over the world--and firing its workers.  And a court order in a case brought by retired Americans and others has blocked Musk from invading the US Treasury system.  So all power is not with the POTUS duo.  The courts, of which I became a licensed member in 1984, are holding.  

After that, and now putting these legal blocks to the destruction of our democracy in writing, I am feeling much more safe and at ease.  It is good to know we are not alone. It is good to know that those who can do something are.  It is good to enjoy this beautiful weather today in the North Carolina Piedmont.  It has even been good to blog about difficult emotions. 

Next on my Sunday agenda is potting a few pansies, pressing some wrinkled clothing of mine, and pasting in my collage journal.  Thank you for reading.  I look at stats and see readers from all over the globe.  But thank you especially for reading this post.   In peace, Nina Naomi