Pandemic Side-Effect: Wanderlust

Windows: that's what they are, from inside the Pandemic into the outside world. 

The Retailers found me in attractive links inside of our Social Media: clothing lines quickly shifted to easy-living, stay-at-home clothes. Solid colors. Simple-to-choose, alluring. 

The Institutions Found me: Virtual opportunities abounded toward the end of summer: a program at the Met, a series by the Asia Society in Hong Kong I have loved. I signed up over and over again, my schedule filling with webinar on top of webinar. 

The Mindfulness teachers found me: a weekend retreat with Pema? for $150? You bet. And, it was wonderful. 

The little windows are so-as I wrote-alluring, it's easy to live a day (days) virtually, not realizing there is an underpinning world of work and interests I was already committed to: continuing to transition the museum; managing a museum in Covid; managing a museum in the wake of George Floyd's death (and Briana Taylor...and so many more); continuing my already-virtual Mindfulness Teacher Certification Program. 

This week I am remembering the Underpinning: what was already here for me to lead, love and work on for myself and those nearest. 

Supporting a family that recently returned to in-school school. 

Running an Art Museum and launching a project to build a second location. 

Supporting my own practices of faith, mindfulness, pocketsunrise and yoga. 

That Underpinning is something: a body of work that can easily take 24 hours a day. Thich Nhat Hanh wrote "mindfulness is bringing the mind home to the body." and to bring this mind home to this work is this life's work: this life in this moment. 

In a work retreat on Friday I wrote down five priorities. And now, as I schedule my time, each moment of being in wanderlust and allure has a practice of a new, second moment: does this time I am so easily scheduling support my priorities? 

And if so, how directly? 

What is the return on my time? 

And...it might just be joy, and do we ever need more of that. It might just be taking a weekend, with nothing virtually scheduled, to stare at the leaves from the couch. Taking a long walk with a friend. Ordering in dinner. 

I am working to quiet the inner-critic: that by making a conscious, loving choice, I am here in this moment more fully, more intentionally. Wandering on the inside instead.