Hola Reader,

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So we've nearly made it through the year that was 2020. Of course, it's not as though the coach will turn into a pumpkin tomorrow at midnight and everything will change. Yet, we can be hopeful about what 2021 may hold. For many, that hope is a life raft. My own perspective is that 2020 was the cocoon and 2021 won't be so much the butterfly, but instead the slow emerging. This fits perfectly with the theme of today's reflection, and one of my own intentions for 2021: Grace.

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Reflection

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The concept of grace - of quiet clarity and openness - is one that transcends religion and stands as a noble aspiration for anyone seeking to develop and grow.

Yet grace is not something we can reach through striving, no matter how powerful our effort. The inherent nature of grace - of opening our hears and hands to receive what is always being offered - means that it is achieved through omission. Grace happens. It emerges when we chip away at our pre-conceptions, our yearning and our distractions.

This truth and the humble process it implies can be hard for Type A achievers to accept. Are we not acculturated to believe that everything worth having is acquired through effort? When we have lived a life measured in accomplishments and have tied our identity and self worth to such external markers the suggestion that we cannot “do” grace into being sounds almost like a challenge, or worse, an insult.

Paradoxically, this is the challenge: to cede the illusion that we are in control and must act in order to succeed in all endeavors and must do in order to be worthy of reward.

Surrender

“Falling into Creator’s embrace” and receiving the gift of unconditional love requires this cessation of control and demands humility. This surrender is a process of letting go, of setting aside the planning and perspiration that has yielded success in other areas of our lives. It is slowing down in a world that demands fast, quieting ourselves in a time that rewards the loudest voice at the table, opening to receive in a paradigm that urges us to seize whatever we can.

Even if we are able to set aside these programs, there is no guarantee of grace. Creating the conditions is merely an invitation. Open the space and at some unexpected moment, Grace may flow in, illuminating everything. A sense of unity with all beings, a trust in how we are supported, and a gentle compassion for ourselves and others.

Intention and attention replace effort in this process. Diligent practice and focus help us clear the path for grace’s entry into our lives. We align our free will with this higher goal and with the laws of love and allocate our most precious resources- time and attention - to cultivating space and removing boundaries such as judgement, demands, and expectations. We cull distractions and mindfully apply our effort in the appropriate areas, training our minds so that we may just as deftly cease our efforts, silence ourselves, and tune in to the higher call.

A life crafted with intention, with significant niches carved our for reflection and stillness, offers us a better chance at true fulfillment. Intention guides us in achieving our goals, but perhaps more importantly can guide us to set the goals and milestones and measures aside at times and to dwell in a sacred, quiet place. That is where grace happens.

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Audio-Visual Landscape

This week I am digging Small Plastic Heart by Elder Island. The vocals are reminiscent of the duo Sylvan Esso (which I've also featured here) and the dancey beat is uplifting without being in your face. A fun listen.

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Dot Connecting

The barefoot shoe company Vivo is on a mission to get people to reconnect with nature through their feet. This mission extends to everyone, including groups not often reflected in traditional media about outdoor recreation. In this video, titled Unfollow the Crowd, Vivo profiles Rhiane Fatinikun, founder of Black Girls Hike, which is exactly what it sounds like. Fatinikun founded the group to encourage other Black women in the UK to get outdoors, connect with each other and nature, and explore.

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Personal Eco-System

Speaking of that cocoon, this collective reflection on Motherhood in 2020 is incredibly striking. The pandemic has had an unbalanced impact on parents, and even more so on mothers, many of whom have taken on a "third shift" or had to step back from their careers: 865,000 women dropped out of the workforce in September 2020 alone. Disclaimer: the article linked above features the voices of fairly privileged mothers working from home. Let's not forget that 1 in 3 jobs held by women were deemed "essential" under lockdown and that lots of mamas are having to show up in person to work without adequate childcare options.

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I'm sharing this under the personal section because it touches on one of the tender micro/macro connections highlighted this year. How the deeply personal can also be collective and nearly universal. One of my favorite interpretations of this year is that we are not all in the same boat. We are each in our own unique boat, on the same tumultuous sea.

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Wishing you many blessings as you enter the New Year!

Kate

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