The irony of my One Little Word being open in the midst of a pandemic where it feels like everything is closed is not lost on me. My library? Closed. My favorite stores? Closed. My go to restaurants? Closed.
Guess what’s not closed, though?
My eyes. To the beauty around me . . . the new furniture we bought for our living room, the pansies peeking above my window sills, the daffodils in my garden, the bluebirds at the feeder by the kitchen window, the pictures and videos of Jackie that Jessica makes sure Dale and I see.
My mind. To new ideas about what staying home feels like. To finding creative ways to “see” friends and family. To using books to take me to anywhere I might want to go. To learning new things and honing new skills. To possibility.
My heart. To loving every minute of every day even when it feels tedious or scary or uncomfortable. To feeling grateful for so much extended time with Dale. To being resilient in the face of so much uncertainty. To protecting myself and my family through temporary sacrifice. To accepting hope however it shows up.
Maybe being closed off from the world is exactly what I need to show me what being open is really all about.
This is lovely. What a great word.
My word/theme for the year, well. I certainly never imagined this new reality.
“All shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of things shall be well.”
I love the picture of the open doors. Also love your attitude.
New furniture? Do we get a glimpse?
Thank you.
This is lovely. I was just speaking with a friend about this and how I would regret it if I didn’t use this time. What are we always saying? “I wish I had more time to…” Well, here it is. Granted, a lot of those times we’re looking to spend it with loved ones. But the universe is tricky. We are being forced to spend it with ourselves!
Be well, my friend!
There’s a lesson in everything… I love your approach. I need to write about my word too, but I think “accept” is an obvious one right now…
Beautiful post Carole. So good!
Well said.
I admire your ability to remain open when things do feel so closed. I have left my poor word by the wayside – focus. I have none (or very little) but you’ve inspired me to at least try and open up to focus each day. Thanks, Carole!
This is beautifully said, Carole! Thank you so much for sharing!
Your words will carry me through the day Carole. Thank-you.
Yes! The power of one little word. . .
I love this, Carole. Being OPEN is the only way forward.
XO
Such a beautiful post, Carole! Thank you for the reminder to focus on what we can do right now rather than on what we can’t.
This is just beautiful, Carole. When faced with the worst that could happen (maybe it’s not the worst, but, you know…) we must be opening to learning about ourselves and learning new ways to “be”, to love, to see. You really hit it with this post.
Irony…the more ‘closed’ things become the more we can open up to newer ideas/situations? 🙂
This is great, Carole! I think Open and And have a lot in common 🙂 (I’ll bet your ears are more open, too … and your hands, to hold on to those you can xxoo)
Wonderfully written, Carole.
So glad you are still finding ways to be open right now.