Realizing What Rings True

Every morning, as I sit here in my office, I am surrounded by the little things that are reminders of what my life is and what it is not. Post-its all over the walls, coffee mugs and random dishes, endless to-do lists, goals, affirmations, my two chihuahuas, and about twenty planners that lay nearby; but no kids, no noise (except the occasional barking), and no supportive partner. I am in my life alone for the very first time after two marriages and two years of swirling, so the silence and lack of company is both comforting and deafening. I have horses and dogs and a great temporary home, but also financial stress, crushing anxiety, and big dreams gasping for bigger air. And now, of course, we are all in a period of sequestered crisis, and almost everything seems hard, times a thousand.

But before this pandemic, there was a memorable moment when my neighbor reminded me of something important. Looking out the upstairs window, deep in thought, on another cloudy morning that seems so long ago, my gaze was brought down to the ground below by movement. A small orange bus was arriving, as it did every morning, and my neighbor came out of her house, son in tow. As he boarded the bus, I could hear him making sounds rather than words, and she watched him with love. The exhaustion and stress were painted across her face, as he was just recently diagnosed with autism; and I knew, from having worked in that field, just how challenging that could be.

And yet I was heartened by the realization that, in spite of her challenging life, whenever she and I would run into one another, SHE would encourage ME, knowing the difficulties that I had been facing. It made me think of how life is all relative and how important it is to always come back to what rings true, through all that we go through. There are always going to be challenges. But will we let them win? Will we let the tasks, the lonelies, the hiccups, and the to-dos take over? Or will we allow what rings true to triumph at the end - and at the beginning - of the day?

Here's a fact: we are all in this thing called life together, whether it is hard or easy, given, or taken; through that madness, we just need to remember to eventually come back to the things that truly matter. My neighbor's act of kindness, her show of love, compassion, and her evident strength reminded me of that.

Thus, I have come up with a list of things to reflect upon, to bring it all back into focus, to remember what rings true and what is most important as we spin through this wayward world. We will still feel the pain, of course. We will still get a little lost. But that's okay. Let's just come back to the things that matter most. Come up with a list of your own for good measure.

For me, here is...

What Rings True (a short list)

1) Family

2) Friends

3) Moments 

4) Animals (especially my pups and horses)

5) Togetherness

6) Health and Well-being

7) Feeling Safe

8) Nature and Outdoors

9) Space 

10) Food and Nourishment (physical and mental)

11) Kindness

12) Helpfulness

13) Creativity 

14) Peace

15) Life

16) Love

17) Laughter

18) Adventure

19) Compassion

20) Understanding

Now, it's your turn! What rings true for you?