The world is a heavy place right now

And it’s ok to sit in that heaviness. And it’s ok to feel annoyed about the virus, restrictions, lockdowns, vax/no-vax – all the while having your heart break with what is going on over in Afghanistan.

To be honest, right now – telling people whose businesses are crumbling under their feet, those who haven’t seen their families for years and others who are Covid exhausted – that they should look at what is happening in Afghanistan and be thankful for what they have – is downright cruel.

No one in their right mind would dismiss what’s going on in Afghanistan – well no one that follows Evoke anyway (I hope!). Each person I’ve talked to is wracked with grief, fear and sadness about the Afghan plight.

And, at the same time, they are full of fear, stress and exhaustion with what their own everyday life is entailing.

And experiencing all of that at the same time is ok. One doesn’t detract from the other. One is not less or more important. It’s all just fucking hard.

It’s so important not to dismiss what’s going on for you, and how you feel. Because in the dismissal is the repression. And we all know what happens when we depress something – it comes back ten times stronger at a later, more inconvenient date.

So, if you’ve worked your butt off building a business that’s no longer viable in the Covid world – then feel those feelings of disappointment, heartbreak and exhaustion.

And if people tell you ‘Be grateful for what you have’ – just get up and walk away. Don’t use your precious energy in justifying your vulnerability with them.

And it’s kind of like an Aussie trait to look externally and go ‘Oh they’re having a really shit time, I should shut up about how I feel’ – and maybe that’s the reason for our worsening mental health crisis – because we’re a lucky country in global comparison, so we don’t always speak out about how we feel.

So don’t let your place of home ever detract from how you feel. Your vulnerability is important. And it’s welcome in my world.

So, what are we going to do about it?

As I sat and watched the Afghan/Taliban story unfold, tears flooded my face.

And I’m not talking a quick roll down the cheek – I’m talking sobbing. My heart hurt as I watched those children flee. As I saw those fathers and men protect their families from unavoidable hurts. As the planes flew off leaving others behind.

In amongst the tears and when I feel helpless, I turn to my Pa and reflect on what he would do in this instance. And without a shadow of doubt – he would pray.

Every night before bed, Pa would kneel beside his bed and pray. Every. Night.

And whether you’re religious or not – that isn’t the point. There’s so much background in the benefits of sharing loving kindness and how it can change the world.

So that’s what we’re going to do.

Each night – at 9pm – I’m going to send love to Afghanistan, to my family, to everyone impacted by Covid – essentially to the world. It isn’t going to be an event and I’m not going to send people reminders. It’s something we can do on our own, in the quietness of our mind.

I cannot take credit for this idea as the wonderful Belinda Davidson used to run white light transmission every Monday night at 9pm (she doesn’t do these anymore, but I wanted to acknowledge her part in this!). I know they made a difference to me – so let’s share that love again.

So, set your alarms – and at 9pm each night – close your eyes and envisage, in your mind (or mind’s eye), the people, place, culture, whatever you’d like to send love to.

Just keep them in your mind – and flood them with love. It can be in the form of a golden light, white light, religious prayer, words, music – whatever works for you, do it. Anything will help. And if you cannot do it at 9pm, then do it when you can.

The power of love in this world – right now – is one of the only tools we have. Especially when we feel helpless.

Kindness makes a difference. A HUGE difference. Don’t underestimate it.