Week #296 – Repost: Seek Beauty in Ashes
I’m flashing back to Week #240 for a little of my own advice! Care to join me? 😉
In one week last April (2019) — we experienced a career comeback like no other, a devastating fire, and were poised to celebrate two religious holidays that are rooted in the concepts of freedom and new life.
In each case, everything seemed hopeless. Tiger was too old, Notre Dame too far gone, and bible stories…well, they’re impossible (right?).
And yet, each persisted. Tiger pressed on. Notre Dame will be rebuilt. And the traditions of Passover and Easter survive thousands of years later.
There is something persistent about HOPE.
Don’t get me wrong…I’ve experienced total loss. I watched a perfectly healthy human being become perfectly dead in no time at all. I’ve seen first-hand the devastation of hurricanes at the Jersey Shore. And I lived in Manhattan during 9/11.
And now I can add a paralyzing global pandemic to that list!
The potential for loss is always available to us…and yet, there is something in us that reaches for hope in the face of it. Each and every time. (Granted, some times may be easier than others…this one’s a toughie.)
Take stock in your losses, whatever they may be. Big or small — honor and grieve them. And then, when the time is right, straighten your shoulders and set your sights on finding the beauty in the ashes.
Your Happyness Challenge for the Week Ahead: Seek beauty in ashes! Whatever setbacks, disappointments, or less-than-ideal circumstances come your way this week — practice cultivating an attitude of possibility about the outcome. One way to do this is to take time to process the setback (also called a post-mortem) — or to ask yourself what the best possible outcome might be, or what gift might be buried in the rubble. In some cases, it may be too soon to ask these questions or play these games — but practicing with small stuff now makes it more likely these thoughts will be accessible when you (or someone you know) needs them the most.
I’m in it with you. I’m counting the days, and grieving, and searching, too.
SpreadHappyness — Seek Beauty in Ashes this week!
5/15/20 by Grace Church
© Grace Church
grace@spreadhappyness.com