The development of a normal child doesn’t always involve creeping before walking, sometimes they suddenly set off and almost run, these development stages are often watched with delight, love joy pride to mention just a few feelings, and the little one is praised and encouraged to keep it up some parents will even log these stages and of course in today’s world the social media will be popping with the information.
Analogy’s and metaphors stop short of given exact parallels but often prick our thinking and reflective processes into action allowing us to make our own relevant interpretations of events. For some days I have been considering what can happen when a baby is disabled in some way and can’t creep, or maybe never walk.Many gifted parents love and rear the child concerned and are often blessed by the special things. he or she, bring into the world sometimes when under pressure these special things are not always seen, but when looked for can be found.Speaking from my own experience I know the fears and anxieties a parent can have about such a child’s future and the sadness one can feel at the often negative attitude society can have towards them. Such feelings can introduce us to despair , but they can also open the mind to creative and positive ways of managing.
Some time ago I reflected on the need for balance in our lives and in the world. It doesn’t take an expert to see that the world is out of balance, and many people and countries are living out of the difficult animalistic shadow side of life and being. Behaviour such as this comes about through many experiences and lack of reflective living, and of course may be part of dealing with traumatic events and continuing and prevailing traumas brought about by such desperate events which are part of things such as the pandemic. I want to suggest that there is a ‘normalness’ about such behaviour, sounds shocking I know, but its the behaviour of survival and may follow individuals who go through it into better times, need ing to be resolved .
We live in times when great emphasis is placed on having pride in your beautifully shaped body, male six packs , and generally having well toned muscles, but our struggle is how we split the aspects of ourselves. To cope with unfolding issues which are a legacy of the pandemic we need to return to ‘our core’ which includes all aspects of being in the world. We need to finding a true meaning in life and a subsequent purpose for life. As I indicated in previous blogs we need to revisit our self awareness, acknowledging the aspects of our personality, and dealing with those aspects which are out of sinc.
When beginning or revisiting this journey we need to name our qualities and human resources know these and hone them in preparation for the unfolding of an aftermath of the pandemic. Although it is difficult to prepare for what is still to some degree unknown, it is certainly possible to centre and steady ourselves becoming grounded in self knowledge and perspective. We also need to work through our own traumatic wounds, this centring process is important with respect to our healing and to become aware of our inner guide.
Recently I had a recurrent waking dream, in which a lady was walking with her vulnerable adult son. Her son had her by the hand, but whereas her body was visible his was blurred and completely featureless. As I stayed with the dream the hands parted, but which individual who let go was difficult to determine.
There are many insights in this but I intend to just mention how often we do not integrate our vulnerability in fact we let it go altogether when we really need to acknowledge and integrate it into us. We cannot walk on alone if we don’t acknowledge our vulnerability we put ourselves at risk and loss a relating aspect of relating to others possibly becoming unbalanced with an over inflated ego.
As more knowledge regarding the pandemic has unfolded we have been, and are challenged to strengthen our core values for example genuineness, morals, dignity, resilience, compassion, personnel power, and humanity, such strengthening supports ourselves and those we seek to serve allowing us to develop meaning connections with others and to separate from them in a healthy way acknowledging , in so far as we can, what is ours and what is their’s.
The above is a prelude to a reflective life and practice which I hope to continue to develop with you, in the hope that these reflections are a support and guide as we continue to unfold in a process containing both sickness and strength in the coming days.
The great tablecloth for the banquet had been in a storage cupboard for a long time. The staff carried it to the table and began to roll it out each fold had an ageing mark and as they watched creatures began to emerge from them first was a mass of strange insects.
WHAT DO YOU THINK WAS IN THE NEXT FOLD?
aoibheann thoughtful reflections 