A glimpse back around 2020? Probably that’s a little something you’d somewhat not do. We all hope we won’t have a repeat of that calendar year. But, there are some factors about 2020 worth lifting up. Some are personalized, other folks are broader. Rather than a “Best of” I’ll lean into “My Favorites.”
First, I need to confess to lessened travel as my amount one particular good for 2020. Since 2012, I have put an typical of 35,000 miles a 12 months on my car or truck, slept an regular of 1 thirty day period per yr away from household and sat in unpleasant cramped seats on airplanes an average of 12 flights per calendar year. I realize there are others who could very easily double or triple individuals figures. But for me, the novelty of travel for perform wore off a though ago. When the Pandemic hit last spring and I was compelled to work from dwelling, I recognized how considerably I necessary a split from the road.
Second, I began a teaching software Spiritual Path with the Haden Institute in 2020. The application shifted from in-individual retreat to Zoom. Candidly, it labored fine for me. This application has reconnected me with several of the major influences that brought me into a lifestyle of religion. Particularly, the Spirituality of the Christian Mystics and the Depth Psychology of Carl Jung, Marie Louise Von Franz and Anne Belford Ulanov. I related with a new Spiritual Director which has been extremely helpful.
Third, I rediscovered mother nature. That seems odd, but it is correct. I put in far more time exterior in 2020 than I have in a long time. This bundled developing a raised mattress vegetable backyard garden, walks in a nearby Wildlife Refuge as properly as bicycle rides all through Rhode Island. Alongside with these actions, or perhaps mainly because of them, I reconnected with Larry Rassmussen’s exceptional e-book Earth Honoring Religion. Larry was my wife’s Ph.D. professor, and his get the job done in the link amongst ecology, ethics and theology is some of the best creating.
Fourth, I’m mastering a lot more about Race relations and I detect far more of our congregations are engaged in this crucial matter. I read through several publications and had a lot more genuine discussions with people who have a unique lifetime encounter than I do. Fanny Brewster’s The Racial Complex has assisted me realize some of the deeper roots of racism. I know a lot of men and women who are more mature and white and lifted in center class or up homes have a challenging time with this subject. One particular of my issues is how to aid us have interaction this topic in a way that enables for honesty and growth.
Fifth, we got our economical household in order. This has been a four-calendar year project for my spouse and I. We produced a motivation to this undertaking next our sabbatical in 2017, and the program labored. I’ve uncovered a ton about particular finance, retirement scheduling and the psychology and spirituality of funds. A single of the astonishing, however it should not be, lessons of this task is that when you get your S&!+ alongside one another financially, you recognize a complete whole lot of psychological and intellectual flexibility.
There are other lessons uncovered, movies viewed (have you viewed Soul on Disney +) guides read, and so on. But these are the prime 5. A reminder for me that even in the midst of all that was terrible about 2020 (and it was just simple horrible) I was capable to discover some great points.
I hope you can uncover some as perfectly.
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