Some days I just cannot watch or listen to the news. My saturation point is exceeded. Of course I want to stay informed, but when I get to a place where I’m feeling so sad, helpless, not sure what to do, where to put my energy and attention, it’s time to shut it down. Stop the flow of negativity into my heart for a while and get some grounding. If I don’t, I’m no good to anyone.

Time to create some space

A dropper full of ink turns a six-ounce glass black. But squeeze it into a lake or ocean and it spreads and dissipates undetected. How do you make space? Give it more Rumi (previous article). The recipe for space varies by individual, but does include some common characteristics:

• Some measure of stillness
• Reduction of incoming data
• Beauty
• Reflection
• Nourishment
• Compassion

Our lives are busy. There is serious damn stuff going on in the world. We’re working, trying to eat right and exercise and get enough rest, and maintain relationships and be a good friend, spouse, son, daughter, sister, and…  oh, make a baby.

Months and months of failing to conceive makes a girl weary. A boy too. The losses, the almosts, the We had it, then we lost it, add up, accumulate, injure, and weigh us down. The world will still turn if we take a little time to heal some wounds.

There are so many ways to look at this experience. It’s a fight, a journey, a pain, a challenge, an odessy, a lousy hand. It’s also like A.M. said in the Mother’s Day post, From one who’s been there, it’s “a phase in life that passes like all other phases, and one day it will be a distant memory”.

But for now, day-to-day, as we move through disappointment with its full emotional force, ask the questions to which the answers are so elusive and shake our fist at an invisible power, let us also set an intention to nourish the qualities that make us better humans in this world. We need it. The world needs for sure. And our children need it.

We’ll talk about creating space on Sunday at Fertility Road.