Free as caged birds

It's Friday. I have been working all week, sitting among my books and all sorts of creature comforts. I have been productive. I have seen all my clients, virtually, so far this week. There's a sense of  peace in such productivity and maintenance of certain aspects of my practice. At home, we are well, we engage with each other, although not as much as I thought we would. Each of us in our little corners minding our to-dos, lovingly supporting each other.

It's Friday and I am craving homekeeping. So I decided to pull out the laundry and wash some clothes between sessions. I find that the day is absolutely beautiful as sunlight flows through the downstairs glass windows. It is a nice contrast from the natural darkness of my sweet cave. As I move about, I can sense a sadness that I had not been aware of. And I get it. I have been working from home for a long time, even if I keep a separate office and teach on-site at the university. Home is still base for me. We are a work-from-home family, as so many others are. Yet, it has been our option. The sense of obligation to stay home takes away from the choice, from the sense of having the freedom to choose to work from home. The feeling hurts even more because the reasons to stay home are so dire. The feeling of uncertainty, lack of control and powerlessness are taking their toll. I get it. I understand.

There's a collective ache that ails us. And the initial freedom some of us felt at being able to stay home and decide over our time and activities is wanning. As quarantine measures expand and get stricter, our states of mind deteriorate, our moods sulk, our hearts sadden, and our souls forsake joy. This affects our mental health, our relationships, our physical health, and our sense of wellbeing. We become dispirited.

It will be to our benefit, to our highest good, to allow these circumstances to be without our insistence on their wrongness. Today is a good day to accept that it is what it is and to find our freedom in our seclusion. We have liberty in what we choose to think, believe and feel. We have freedom in what we choose to share on social media and in our contributions. We can choose what we read, what we write, what we entertain ourselves with. We can tend to our plants, pet our pups, stretch our bodies, learn something new, play, meditate, doodle, finally create that blog, nurture hope, workout, and catch up with long forgotten dreams. And we can sing. We can always sing.

Image found at pinterest.com.

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