It is fairly accurate to say that we live in some very stressful times. There are influences that feel outside our control that can have a direct and sometimes immediate impact on the outcome and quality of our lives. There is a lot of uncertainly in the world we live in. Financial uncertainty. Inflation. The war in Ukraine. The news with either a right or left leaning focus that pushes an agenda of fear and uncertainty. People. Powerful people that perpetuate fear and have a huge impact on our sense of safety and wellbeing.

I certainly don’t have any control on how on how all these influences continue to unfold. I also cannot for tell the future. More importantly, I do not want to contribute to the volume of fear that already exists. There is more the enough to go around.

I have a very human nervous system. It often feels jarred by all the uncertainty.  I often feel a low level of nervousness running through my body. A bit like the fight or flight response. A built-in response that helps us flee when for what ever reason we feel afraid. I certainly don’t want to shut down and withdraw into my life.  I personally having a compelling need to continue to engage my life and the world at large.

The most important question for me is, how can I maintain my sense of wellbeing amidst all this craziness? How can I stay grounded in a deep sense of being and continue to align my life with the mystery that lives all things? My spiritual teacher Brenda would often mention a word, ROLAIDS. It stands for Restore Ourselves To Love And It’s Display. I found it simple and effective reminder of where I want to put my attention.

I have no simple formula, meditation or exercise for releasing the fear I feel. I can only share what works for me. I have been mediating for most of my life. Sometimes for longer periods and sometimes more often. This in itself has helps to maintain an over all sense of wellbeing. I have done a lot of medicine work. Over the course of my life, I have engage the ritual use of psilocybin mushrooms. I have found this medicine a powerful tool to help me directly connect to the divine and transcend all my egoic and mental tendencies that limit how I see myself in relationship to the world I live in. I have a loving relationship with my partner. I belong to ManKind Project. MKP is a men’s group. We meet weekly to come together in community and support each other as we travail the challenges of our lives. I personally need the accountability of this group of men. I find it challenging to figure my life out on my own. Humans have come together around a fire to share their lives for millennia, to create community and sense of belonging. We generally don’t do that anymore. I am an avid bike rider. I ride about 100 to 150 miles a week. I spend a lot of time walking and hiking. I get together with friends to talk, share a meal or just hang out. Sometimes something a simple as a Starbucks or an everything bagel with lox can help reconnect me to a deeper sense of being. I am sure there is more.

I have a need to discharge on a daily basis all the tension my body accumulates. Holding that tension in will in the long run manifest in my physical body and transform into some illness. I want the nervous unsettled energy to transform into Love and Its Display. At the end of the day, the best I can do is show up with an open heart and open mind. I can show compassion and kindness when it is needed. I can keep all the agreement I made. I can be patient, loving and kind to myself. I can take responsibly for myself and my actions. I can keep all the agreement I made. In a previous blog, I talked about being a sober impeccable human being. I do not want to contribute to the fear and anxiety that is already in abundance. I like a comfortable life. I don’t want to face any pending doom or misfortune. If I do, I can say that at this point in my life I feel complete in who I am.