by Karen Cumming | Jun 27, 2020 | Earth Rocks Blog
I used to think of going out for a daily walk as a bit of a luxury — you know… nice to do if you could swing it between working and grocery shopping and errands and dinner and Netflix. But living through a global pandemic has given me a new point of view. A walk is a necessity now – medicine for the soul – a chance to soak up the sun, breathe in the fresh air, and say hello to the people passing by.
It’s also, of course, a chance to look up at the sky. And whenever I do, I see the greatest birds I know hovering over the lake near my house: seagulls. I admire them so much… the way they glide and soar with their little feet tucked underneath them, up above the world below.
Today as I looked at the sky, the book Jonathan Livingston Seagull popped into my head. A chart-topping best seller in the 1970s, it’s about a seagull who longs to perfect the art of flying – not just the art of eating like the other seagulls.
“He learned that a streamlined high-speed dive could bring him to find the rare and tasty fish that schooled ten feet below the surface of the ocean…”
Thoughts of Jonathan led me to ponder life in this global pandemic and the lessons we’re here to learn. Maybe – just like that famous seagull – we’re meant to use this time we have to ourselves – to work on flying higher and faster and swooping and diving and just… well, becoming the best of who we are.
Call it food for thought. Call it a pandemic plan. Whatever you call it, it’s time for take off.
by Karen Cumming | Jun 21, 2020 | Earth Rocks Blog
One of the great things about self-isolation is you have lots of time on your hands to just chill. Time to do all the things you don’t ordinarily have time for, right? Things like reading a new book, cooking, baking, playing board games with your kids, binge watching the latest season of your favourite show on Netflix, meditating, doing yoga, even cutting your own hair.
This pandemic pause has focused our attention inward like never before. Not in a selfish way, mind you, but in a positive one. We’re staying off the roads, staying home, slowing down, and being kinder and more loving to ourselves, each other and the Earth.
Imagine love and kindness being things we needed to be reminded of. Crazy, right?
Decades before the pandemic, someone we all know and love had something to say about it. You remember Lucille Ball and the old I Love Lucy show? Turns out, while we were all loving Lucy, Lucy was loving herself.
“I have an every day religion that works for me,” she said. “I love myself first, and everything else falls into line.”
Imagine loving yourself first. All the time. And everything else falling into line because of it.
Let’s try a little pandemic experiment: For the next seven days, in every life situation, ask yourself this question: “Is this what I would do if I truly loved myself?”
You might be surprised at the answers you get… and the way your decisions and your life change because of it.
Don’t thank me… Thank Lucy.
by Karen Cumming | Jun 14, 2020 | Earth Rocks Blog
Isn’t it weird how the pandemic has changed the way we all do things now? Yesterday, I was standing in a socially distanced line outside a HomeSense. Gazing through the window, I found myself appreciating the privilege of going into a store. An experience I once took for granted has now become something much more precious.
Most of the shoppers were wearing masks. Everyone sanitised their hands at the door as they entered. A recording came on the PA system every ten minutes or so, reminding us to maintain a 6 foot distance from one other at all times. No doubt about it. It’s a very new kind of “normal”.
Twenty minutes later, I was standing in another socially distanced line at the check-out clutching a king sized pillow. The man in front of me had two giant round mirrors in his cart. We stood. And stood. And then the greatest thing happened. We both looked up at each other and locked eyes at exactly the same moment as if to say – in the nicest possible way – “Isn’t this surreal?”
Our mouths were covered by our masks, and I was glad they were. Our eyes were steering the conversation now. It felt kind of … well… sacred, you know?
Maybe one of the lessons we’re meant to learn from this global pandemic is that true connection with another human being doesn’t come from talking to them; it comes from looking into their eyes and feeling the connection. Really feeling it.
Imagine how different the world would be if we did this all the time. Pandemic or no pandemic.
Imagine. Just imagine.
by Karen Cumming | Jun 6, 2020 | Earth Rocks Blog
If you’re anything like me, self-isolation has you doing twice as much at home as you ordinarily would… because – hey, let’s face it – other than the grocery store, there’s really nowhere else to go right now. You’ve probably cleaned, baked, crafted, exercised, worked from home, attended Zoom meetings and watched webinars until you have no choice but to collapse in a heap on the living room sofa at night.
And that’s where the trouble begins. As the clock ticks on, you’re too tired to get up, do the right thing and go to bed. Instead, you start listening to Spotify or watching the latest release on Netflix. Before you know it, it’s 11:30 or midnight, and you’ve done it again. You’ve broken your sleep curfew.
In a bold move to clean up my act, I recently decided that my sleep curfew would be 9:30. You guessed it; I didn’t make it into bed by 9:30 once last week.
Enter Dr. Seuss. You heard me. He actually wrote a book called Dr. Seuss’s Sleep Book way back in 1962. I have a copy on my living room book shelf. As only he could, Seuss introduces us to all of the creatures in the world who are falling asleep: “Do you know who’s asleep out in Foona-Lagoona… ? Two very nice Foona-Lagoona Baboona.”
Dr. Seuss’s advice? Join the Biffer-Baum Birds, of course, and say: “I feel rather drowsy. I’ve had quite a day.”
Simple, effective, short and sweet. Sounds like a self-isolation mantra to me. 😀
by Karen Cumming | May 30, 2020 | Earth Rocks Blog
People around the world are calling it “the pandemic pause”. As a friend of mine suggested back in March, Mother Earth has sent us to our rooms so that we can stay there for awhile and think about what we’ve done.
That’s how it felt to me at first: a time of deep reflection about the state of the world, what’s gotten us here and what needs to happen in order for both the Earth and our selves to heal.
But the more I began to embrace self-isolation, the more I began to see it from a different point of view. Virus aside, (and I know that’s a big aside), it wasn’t a punishment at all. It was a present, tied with a big red bow. When I opened the box, I pulled out a permission slip; the kind we used to get in school when we were late for class. Two words stared back at me: Just be.
Imagine needing permission to just be; permission to slow down and listen to the birds outside our window; permission to let our bodies rest when they need it; permission to notice the lush beauty of nature buzzing around us all day long.
It’s as if we’re all computers and the Universe has hit the re-set button on our operating systems. We’ve been gifted with the sacred chance to power down, then power up again at a slower, healthier, happier pace.
Talk about a present. No guilt, no fuss, no muss. Just permission.
Take it for a spin. You may never want to live any other way.*
* Dear fans of Earth Rocks,
I’ve missed you! 😀 As you can see, my blog is returning after a bit of a hiatus. I hope you’re all in good spirits and good health… I also hope that you find some value and a smile in my musings on life.
The highest compliment you could give me would be to share this blog with your friends and ask if they’d like to become a subscriber. I’d be honoured if you would. My pledge is to deliver food for thought – not too much – not too little – j-u-u-u-st right.
With deep gratitude for your kindness and support, Karen. 💕
