Covid-19, AKA Spiritual Bootcamp
Each week, day, hour
Triggers something new.
The weight
Of holding others’ wellbeing
In the choices I make.
Old grief surfaces
In the faces
Of those whose loved ones
Are sick or have passed.
Shelter-in-place
Awakens ancestral memories
When being too visible
Threatened survival.
The impulse to hide
Collides
With my desire
To serve others
In their time of fear.
My nervous system
Is in hyper-
And hypo-arousal
Simultaneously.
Technology is my gateway
To life:
Play
Friends
Work
Exercise
Spiritual teachings
Writing…
Throughout,
Presence weaves
In and out,
Connection
To a truth greater
Than my human programming
A deeper reflection
On the present moment.
With effort
I unhook
From the devices
Gripping my mind like a vice,
Shutting them off
For a weekend reprieve.
I kill my wifi
With morbid satisfaction,
Watching the green lights
Flicker to oblivion.
Unplugging
From my life support
I find I breathe
So much better
On my own.
Time slows
Without distraction.
Cleaning is not a chore
But a meditation practice.
I glow
As my home hums
And gleams.
My aching muscles
Slowly unwind.
New characters
Swirl around my mind,
Wanting to be heard,
The outline of their stories
Unfurling as I scribble
Thoughts on paper—
My long lost friend.
I take the time to check in
With my guides.
They remind me
That in divine timing
Everything is perfect
There is no other way.
This time is
Spiritual bootcamp,
Ready or not.
The hours, days and weeks
Stretch out ahead.
Emerging from my dread
I timidly welcome
The lessons to come.