By Deb Matlock
Let it be me
If the world is night
Shine my life like a light
In the kind word you speak
In the turn of the cheek
When your vision stays clear
In the face of your fear
Then you see turning out a light switch
Is their only power
When we stand like spotlights
In a mighty tower
All for one and one for all
Then we sing the common call
(Emily Saliers of the Indigo Girls)
In recent weeks, months…years, really, I have heard so many friends and clients say that these uncertain times make them want to crawl into a hole. Suffering of animals, people, places. Climate peril. War. Pandemic. Social justice challenges. Financial uncertainty. Oh my…this list could go on and on…but we need to go on and on as well.
People with such beautiful visions for creating a new, kinder, and more just world can also be the same people whose hearts get shattered by the events of the day. It can take so much just to feel the inner courage to believe that whatever spark is coming into this world through each one of us, really needs to be here…and be here NOW! We need to feel the inner calling of the artwork we wish to create, the kind gesture welling up inside of us to share our dinner with our neighbor, or the desire to create a new body of work to offer our clients. If our heart is whispering to us to volunteer at an animal shelter, or work at a community kitchen, we need to listen. We need to go. We need to do.
It seems to me that having the courage and being willing share our gifts with each other is truly a sacred act of care, compassion, and hope. It is these very acts that will create the future. This is true anytime. It is especially true when the world feels overwhelming, and it is hard to sense which way to go and what to do in the face of all the adversity, pain, and suffering.
Sometimes I wonder if the whispers of our hearts, the ideas seemingly coming out of thin air, the thoughts swirling around in our minds might be divinely guided in some way to help bring forward a new way of being on this earth. Who knows…but seems worth considering!
My prayer is that we all take a few moments and ask our hearts to speak. And then, move our compassionate acts out into the world. Let’s see what happens!
Deb Matlock grew up in the mountains of Colorado and is deeply committed to nurturing the connection between people, animals, earth, and spirit. She has spent twenty-five years working as a professional environmental and humane educator and naturalist. Additionally, Deb offers nature-based spiritual guidance, nature connection trainings for practitioners, animal communication, nature connection workshops, and retreats through her business, Wild Rhythms. She is passionate about helping people find connection and deep spiritual meaning in their lives and in the places where they live. Deb holds a Master of Arts in Environmental Education from Prescott College and is pursuing her doctoral degree in environmental studies at Antioch University New England.
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