For times of COVID-19

For times of COVID-19

When life is put on pause

The grandest pause we’ve ever known

And the fabric, woven by gathering, is cut suddenly 

In cafes, universities, even in outside spaces 

Things fly quickly online 

Repatterning and reimagined for our new world

Whenever you can,

Bring awareness to the root

Take more time than you think you need 

Tracing breath here, beingness along your thighs 

Pressing, and finding, the sore spots

Mapping your reality

May solitude bring you comfort and understanding 

Knowing it is rare you are alone, without somebody

Knowing it’s a blessing, some ways, to be alone but not lonely 

Knowing it could have been different, and you thought it would be

May you find righteousness in it all.

May you fall even more deeply into prayer

Beg for mercy

Sing for mercy

Expose your heart and soul to the masses, for mercy 

Share your kindnesses and your passions freely

As routines and structures slip, 

Can you balance narratives

Of productivity, and shame, of softness and comfort in your own life?

Gain a new bedtime, 

A new means for prayer

Look at yourself with new eyes

Everything has changed

Let your heart be bolstered by your relationships

By surprise appearances on Zoom of cherished ones

Breathe, take a pause

Imagine the new world on the other side.

~

In February I attended a birthday party for my sister Tara. We were invited to bring a poem we loved, dress as the essence of the poem and prepare a dish that tasted like the essence of the poem. I brought one of my most favorite blessings from Bless the Space Between Us by the wonderful Irish mystic John O’Donohue. This book is a close companion and contains blessings for very specific occasions and transition times. The blessing I dressed and cooked as, For A New Beginning, has guided me through some of the most transformative periods of my life. My costume, the blessing and the dish (a favorite recipe for Persian strained yogurt dip) all illustrate something hopeful—the dawning of the clear light of bliss.

A few days ago I woke up with the motivation to write a blessing for our time in the form of John O’Donohue’s blessings. Thanks for reading <3