Slowing Down, Reflecting and…Getting An Awful Lot of Work DONE!

“We cannot see our reflection in running water. It is only in still water that we can see.”

– Taoist Proverb

This self-isolation business is good for business…mine anyway

To be perfectly honest, it’s about flippin’ time I plopped my bottom down in one place for a significant amount of time and got some long-overdue writing and other tasks accomplished.

This gazelle has been traveling too much. Yes, it’s been fun. Yes, I’m glad I traveled when I did because who knows when we’ll be able to again.

But quite frankly, the planet is likely breathing a sign of relief for this much-needed reprieve from all the air travel done by yahoos such as myself.

Fact is, our atmosphere is dangerously overloaded with carbon dioxide. We are rapidly reaching the point of no return. What will it take to get us (myself included) to change our ways and make the incredibly difficult shift away from fossil fuels as our main energy source?

Hmmm…

Damn this COVID19 situation: it’s forcing us to slow down and perhaps do a little uncomfortable reflecting on our personal lives and planetary matters.

But I know a wake-up call when I get one (this isn’t my first rodeo in that department). The time has come for me to slow down, hunker down and get some serious work done. And that, I am pleased to report, is exactly what I have been doing for the past few weeks…and will continue to do in the foreseeable future.

Interestingly, with the slower pace (no afternoon errands to run or evening activities to attend), I find myself taking more time to just sit quietly and listen to what my soul might be trying to tell me. This is turning out to be very good for business.

One the one hand, my productivity is vastly improved…I am achieving a great deal more work. But I think the quality of that work is also better.

By slowing down and not rushing through tasks at my usual break-neck speed, not only am I receiving more intuitive insights, I am also better able to apply those insights to the relevant project. In other words, I am able to take the time needed to complete challenging tasks and projects versus trying to bring about that completion in the time I want it to take.

Needless to say, I am taking lots of breaks 🙂 Here are a few more photos from my Qualicum Beach ‘hood:

Today is also the 6th anniversary of my Mom’s passing

It was from my Mom that I got my love for travel. This one of my favourite photos of her:

It was taken on our Alaskan cruise (my, how the world has changed). I remember the moment I snapped this photo. We had just been handed our tall fruity welcome drinks and were happily slurping away on deck, waiting for the rest of our family to find us.

I also remember the last day of our cruise. I was wheeling my Mom in her wheelchair down the ramp, leaving the ship. She was wearing her big-ass white sunglasses, bawling her eyes out.

“Mom,” I said. “What’s wrong? We’ve had a wonderful time. Are you sad to go home?”

“No,” she said. “I’m sad the cruise is over. I don’t want this party to end.”

None of us did. Unfortunately, all parties end…eventually.

As the COVID19 virus runs it course, it would appear our planetary party is being forced to slow down. Now is a perfect time for reflection.

One of the biggest things I am taking away from this time-out is gratitude.

In particular, I have a profound appreciation for all the front-line healthcare workers who are risking their own health, day in and day out. Same goes for all the other workers who do still have to be out in public places…from first responders to grocery-store cashiers, thank you.

I am very grateful to be able to work from home, safe and healthy (but a little too well-fed, I might add). I am thankful for my personal financial situation. The economic fallout of all this will be staggering. For many, it already is.

So there you have it…that’s a little bit of what I’ve been reflecting on during this COVID19 crisis. How about you?

Take care & stay well,

Much love from a grounded gazelle.

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Maryanne Pope is the author of A Widow’s Awakening, the playwright of Saviour and the screenwriter of God’s Country. Maryanne is CEO of Pink Gazelle Productions and Chair of the John Petropoulos Memorial Fund. If you would like to receive her weekly blog, please sign up here.