Hi Friend
This is kind of surreal to say, but this past week felt… expected. It’s not the “new-normal”, but I have found a daily rhythm that acts as a guidepost to my week. Our initial sensation of not knowing what day it is because everything just blurred together, no longer happens. Also, the feeling of temporary has dwindled. I have not previously experienced an accelerated life alteration then adaption, so severely. Have you?
The good news is I’m being productive and making progress around our initiatives. The bad news is I keep extending the timeline of when I anticipate the possibility of returning to live events. I miss the people dynamic of in-person small and large gatherings. I’ve certainly acclimated to Zoom just fine, but I like a good hug as well as the energy, interaction and spontaneity that occurs in the flesh.
Yesterday was Good Friday. If you’re reading this on Sunday, it’s Easter. If you know the story, there were a group of men and women with high expectations that all came crashing down hard. They’d been living in a zone for a few years with big ideas of what the future held. Then the crucifixion occurred, screeching to a halt all anticipation.
It went down on the Jewish holiday of Passover, which originated some 1200 years prior. The gist of it is that a “death angel” was coming to kill all the first born babies, but if lambs blood was put over the entryway to their home, he passed on by. The parallels of what happened that night and on Good Friday are a central tenet of the Christian faith.
Regardless of your religious belief, the paradox of nature echos the same truth:
Death Brings Life
It’s a contrarian disposition to our human understanding. Though it seems a natural order with plants and animals and that whole circle-of-life thing, us humans are adamantly opposed to death. Of course, it’s literally been happening since the origin of man, yet every single passing of a human life is incredibly weighty, traumatic, sad and personal… to someone.
Scaling out to our society’s infrastructure we’re seeing a death of a variety of established pillars. Zooming in to our families and communities – the ending of how things were, seem to be in a slow-motion-descent to the proverbial grave. Granted, we’re fighting with all of our might to retain what has been. It’s hard because we have decades of proof, most likely our entire personal existence, that this is the way it’s “supposed to be.”
As a species we’re not really great at letting go. Yet what if life on the other side is way better?
Can you imagine 30 years from now moms saying “oh my goodness, I can’t believe you used to have kids come inside your house for birthdays. We LOVE birthday parades and little johnny thinks it’s the best when people drive by with signs, honk and drop off gifts!”
Death is inevitable.
In society we are used to it happening a little more gradually. Everything about the way of life 100 years ago had to eventually die for us to live in our current reality. The rapid increase of demise is what’s startling. I tend to believe and imagine you might as well, that on the other side of COVID-19 things will be better. However, it’s the process of death – the transition to a new life – that we’d prefer to avoid!
Death and fear go hand-in-hand for good reason:
The unknown on the other side.
The pain involved.
The loss of the present.
We have no control.
Impact on relationships.
The permanency of the change.
Each one of those on their own deeply affect our psyche. Packaged together, it’s what gives death the Ultimate Fear Rating. Even if on the surface we don’t feel afraid, the process of death unearths emotions unexpectedly as well as randomly hijacks our brain’s amygdala. Thus the message of giving grace to ourselves and others is so prevalent at the moment.
The Jewish nation got an exodus. The disciples got a resurrection. As we’ve experienced previously in life, with much less intensity, the concluding of one chapter is the beginning of another.
That certainty offers us hope.
These are extraordinary times with an overwhelming sentiment of loss. Some losses are more profound than others with an astonishing compounding of consequences. Each have the possibility of concluding in death. Each have the potential to create new life.
Instigating Ideas
- What are you gripping tightly that you should let go of?
- Identify three fears that continue to creep up and taunt you.
- To whom can you purposely offer hope and grace?
- Recall a previous conclusion/beginning that turned out well.
Envisioning what life on the other side of death looks and feels like, gives us strength. I refer to it as placing an anchor in the future, that draws us towards it. When we recognize we are in the process of death, like any other process, it gives us leverage to navigate more intentionally.
I dare you to identify where you are in the process and define what the aftermath will look like. I would love to hear what you imagine and what steps you’re taking. Please Share.
This week we were able to launch our Hosting CEOs webpage. It’s our first fee-based service, that has immediate usefulness and application.
If your organization is doing weekly video updates, we would love to partner with you in those efforts.
This link will take you to the page.
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