Does anyone else feel like their user’s manual for getting through life right now is short a few pages? Or chapters? It’s as if I didn’t receive the added pages in the mail, or an update to the e-book. It just…ended around late 2019 and I’ve been winging it ever since.
It seems like so much has changed in these unprecedented times. (How I long for precedented times. How I’ve come to loathe the phrase “unprecedented times.”) Often, it feels as if what I’ve relied on the past to be true and stable just isn’t anymore.
Yet, there are things for me that are still true and still stable, despite all that’s going on around me. It’s just that, in times of stress and anxiety, I tend to completely forget about them. I’m not sure why. They just get pushed to the side as my mind races, my heart beats faster and my thoughts emit out a steady drum of “I can’t handle this, I can’t handle this, I can’t handle this.”
Of course, I usually can, despite how insurmountable a challenge seems at the time. I regain my footing and muddle through.
What helps? I’ve discovered online morning prayer can be a real solace. I joined some people back in March 2020 (when the world seemed very scary) to pray via Zoom each weekday morning. There was something about the cadence of a simple, repeated liturgy and seeing other people at the start of my day, even if it was on Zoom, that grounded me. I sometimes find it hard to stick to a routine, but just knowing my fellow companions on the journey were there each morning was enough to get me to log in. When so much was unexpected, that was something I could count on. I will forever be grateful for that.
Writing is another touchstone for me. When I write, it’s just me, the Divine, my keyboard and screen for a little while and nothing else matters. I work through thoughts and take pleasure in getting the words down just right. It’s prayer for me. I need constant reminders that this is good for me. Deadlines help, which is why I love writing for this column. Knowing what I’ll be writing prompts thinking about what I’ll say and that grounds me in hopeful things and puts my mind on how the Divine is working in my life.
Almost hand-in-hand with writing is walking. That might sound weird since you must sit down to write, and you can’t sit down to walk. When I walk, I think. Sometimes I start out ruminating, being angry or just ticked off. Soon, though, the rhythm of my feet puts me in a meditative state and I start to think more productively. The worries end and I get some clarity. Often, some of my best writing ideas come out of a walk. Whenever I’m stuck, I walk. Whenever I’m upset, I walk. It really helps.
Those three things have helped keep me grounded during these very strange times. It’s not perfect, but it does work. I should also say talking with loved ones and friends is a big part of that as well. I’m lucky and grateful.
So, while I don’t have a user’s manual for how to navigate my life right now, I never did. But by remembering what has helped me in the past, what’s grounded me and reminded me of the Divine’s work in all things, I can muddle through.
Kevin Aschenbrenner is a Victoria-based writer, poet and communications professional. He holds an M.A. in Culture and Spirituality from the Sophia Center at Holy Names University in Oakland, Calif. He blogs at www.dearpopefrancis.ca.
You can read more articles on our interfaith blog, Spiritually Speaking, HERE: https://www.timescolonist.com/blogs/spiritually-speaking
This article was published in the print edition of the Times Colonist on Saturday, August 30th 2022
