Uncertainty makes us feel powerless.
However, uncertainty in the world is the reality of life. We have never known what will happen or how, yet here we are. Whether we have connected with our power or have forgotten who we are, our existence now is evidence that we've always had what it takes to make it this far. Why should now be any different?
As a 10 year old once told me, people like to live in the past because the past never changes. It is often daunting to consider living in the ever changing moment without an anchor. Still, when we realize that we are always existing in the moment, regardless of what our imaginations tell us, we can begin to lean into the faith that our breath sustains us, always has, and always will.
Re-Membering: What We Already Know is a meditation; a breathing exercise. During this exercise, the reader is invited to breathe while exploring the current truth of self with the reassurance and validation that this momentous truth is in alignment with the teachings of ancestors and other travelers on this journey of life that we are all taking together. By having faith in the process, we are able to let go of the things that do not serve us while embracing those infinite truths that support our being. Then, we can re-member ourselves (put it all together) to live as whole beings right now.
You Have What It Takes
Re-Membering can feel overwhelming when we're all over the place. But what if I told you that being all over the place in one moment is a part of the process?
“When we re-member the pieces of ourselves, we start by facing the clutter inside. Through the process of cleaning and re-organizing, we discover that things probably don’t look or feel the way they did before. We’ve collected new tools and trinkets. We’ve discovered that some of the possessions we once cherished are just things. We hold on to some things. We let go of others.”
I asked my friend Molly to help me demonstrate how Re-Membering works in real life. I asked her the following question from the chapter entitled Self Care:
Letting go can be very cathartic and cleansing of the body, mind, and soul. Over the past year, what have you let go of and what has your letting go allowed you to embrace? If you have struggled with letting go, what is preventing you from letting go?
She began to tell me the story of how she became a runner.
"I had always told myself that I wasn’t a runner, so I didn’t run. In August of 2019, after a doctor’s visit that illuminated the need to take my health more seriously, I unenthusiastically began training for a 5K. Each morning, I would begrudgingly jog to the end of the driveway with the energy of a child whose mother just asked him to wash the dishes. On this particular morning, my breathing felt harder than usual. I immediately decided that I had to let go of the belief that I was not a runner.“I am a runner,” I whispered aloud to myself. Instantly, my body felt lighter and I was able to run faster and further than I ever had, feeling empowered, strong, and joyful about the entire process."
We Are Powerful.
These are uncertain times, but times are always uncertain. We have made it this far. We have what it takes to make it to the next moment, one moment at a time.
Dr. Cathryn D. Blue is a social psychologist, author, musician, and contributor to kahnma.com.