As I sit here in the
international departure lounge of Charles De Gaulle airport in Paris, I have
some time to reflect and come up with my thought of the week. The past three
weeks in India have been intense. Just as India is full of extremes, so are the
fluctuations of my mind.
During my time with the Off The Mat tribe on the Bare Witness Tour we often finished our days with processing. This gave us many opportunities to be held in a safe space, to express what was coming up for us as we saw the often unthinkable acts of violence against women and girls. And the thing is, we didn't see actual acts of dehumanization, but the after effects. We were largely face to face with rescued and at-risk young girls. We were given a unique opportunity to meet them, interact and simply try to connect from a place that was simple, profound and human.
Many in the group were often deeply distressed by what we experienced. Others often held a feeling of hopelessness. Were our efforts truly having a positive impact? My strongest emotion was sadness to see lost innocence and how families had given away or sold their own children. I often found myself thinking about my own childhood experiences, how I laughed, played and never gave a second thought to where my next meal came from or if I was safe. In the deepest way, I felt simply lucky to have been born into the right circumstances and not into the desperate and often depraved cycle of poverty.
In one of the final processing sessions we were asked to consider what our next commitment would be. And as often happens, my own clarity began to percolate up and into a space of articulation. This is the juice of this weeks thought.
I commit to creating space just for me by trying to not over-schedule or ask too much of myself, particularly my personal time. I am committed to staying connected to the collective that has been created via Off The Mat, Into The World. Something deep within has been craving a connection to such a powerful group, who have similar intentions to serve, aiming to make a difference in the world and who act upon those intentions.
This commitment to self is so that I can step fully into my own light and by doing so, am able to hold the space for others to do the same. By looking after my own self, the tendrils that connect me to all others are strengthened. We can do so much more together than I can do as an individual. This has been one of my strongest lessons.
And although doubts, anger and hopelessness were evident during this time, I know that I'd rather be putting my energy into serving others than to staying in my own, limited world of comfort. One of my favorite quotes by S. Marlin Edges is relevant:
During my time with the Off The Mat tribe on the Bare Witness Tour we often finished our days with processing. This gave us many opportunities to be held in a safe space, to express what was coming up for us as we saw the often unthinkable acts of violence against women and girls. And the thing is, we didn't see actual acts of dehumanization, but the after effects. We were largely face to face with rescued and at-risk young girls. We were given a unique opportunity to meet them, interact and simply try to connect from a place that was simple, profound and human.
Many in the group were often deeply distressed by what we experienced. Others often held a feeling of hopelessness. Were our efforts truly having a positive impact? My strongest emotion was sadness to see lost innocence and how families had given away or sold their own children. I often found myself thinking about my own childhood experiences, how I laughed, played and never gave a second thought to where my next meal came from or if I was safe. In the deepest way, I felt simply lucky to have been born into the right circumstances and not into the desperate and often depraved cycle of poverty.
In one of the final processing sessions we were asked to consider what our next commitment would be. And as often happens, my own clarity began to percolate up and into a space of articulation. This is the juice of this weeks thought.
I commit to creating space just for me by trying to not over-schedule or ask too much of myself, particularly my personal time. I am committed to staying connected to the collective that has been created via Off The Mat, Into The World. Something deep within has been craving a connection to such a powerful group, who have similar intentions to serve, aiming to make a difference in the world and who act upon those intentions.
This commitment to self is so that I can step fully into my own light and by doing so, am able to hold the space for others to do the same. By looking after my own self, the tendrils that connect me to all others are strengthened. We can do so much more together than I can do as an individual. This has been one of my strongest lessons.
And although doubts, anger and hopelessness were evident during this time, I know that I'd rather be putting my energy into serving others than to staying in my own, limited world of comfort. One of my favorite quotes by S. Marlin Edges is relevant:
"When I walk to the edge
of all the light I have
and take that step into the
darkness of the unknown,
I believe two things will
happen.
There will be something solid for
me to stand on
or I will be taught to
fly."
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