Goals in the Time of Covid

Earlier this month, someone mentioned to me that we made it to the half point of the year and how were my goals? And I thought, “who has goals right now?!” Mine have been sufficiently (or so I thought) thrown out the window as I’ve been navigating living in this moment in time with as much ease as I can despite the tremendous amount of stress our bodies, minds, hearts, nervous systems, spirits have been under.

Then I opened up my Moon Planner by Sarah Faith Gottesdiener a few days later on a glorious summer weekend and the reflection questions for end of June/beginning of July were prompting me to look back over the past several months and see what has transpired. Never having been able to predict how 2020 would unfold, I turned back to the beginning of my planner to the start of the year and looked over the goals (I actually like the word “intentions” better…) I had written for myself covering different aspects of my life.

And much to my surprise, some of the things I had written actually came to manifest, particularly in the category of service and helping the collective! Some things of course got lost in the chaos of the past several months, like I haven’t visited my grandma regularly, scheduled coffee dates with friends, nor have I committed myself to a movement routine that includes weights (hello gym being closed!), but it’s interesting to see that many of the things I value in creating a nurturing life have taken hold. And how cool is that?!

How about for you, friend? I often find the calendar year to be sort of an arbitrary way to track time compared to how much more I resonate with seasons and the lunar cycle, but it’s interesting to think about how we are halfway through 2020 and how have our perspectives, values, interests, mindsets changed? What’s stayed the same? What has taken hold as new habits? Where might we need to course correct? Where could we harness and focus more energy?

I often find it really easy to point out to myself all the places I need work. Let’s not forget to acknowledge the positive growth, the thriving, the successes!

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And also! I think it’s important to emphasize that it’s okay to NOT know. It’s okay to not have the answers or to not have goals. It’s okay to not be okay. We are living in a global pandemic and a global uprising after all.

I had a call with some of my breathwork colleagues today and it was actually a relief to hear others in similar boats to myself. That we are all just holding on (tightly or loosely) as we ride through the unknown together.

Sometimes I don’t know which way is up and where the hell am I going. Some days I know where my place is and what path I’m walking and some days I’m not exactly sure but feel like I’m still putting one foot in front of the other. I’m trying not to force anything and trying to discern what is a trauma response of freezing and what is actually me leaving space for inspiration/muse/Spirit to show up with the next right step.

I’m feeling some grief for folks (including myself) who have lost their physical spaces or their ability to do the work in person that they’ve worked so hard to build over the years. I’m also curious about the ways I (and we) are being asked to evolve and reinvent our work in ways that maybe feel more sustainable, accessible, less harmful, more aligned. I’m holding both the curiosity and the grief at the same time.

Art: @asjaboros

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So if you’re feeling that sense of limbo or stillness rather than “business as usual” or riding the waves of clarity and uncertainty or navigating the balance of doing and being, I see you. I’m with you.

Whether you’ve thrown your goals out the window or are still working towards them, I see you. I’m with you.

The beautiful thing is that we do have a set of tools at our table to choose from to help support us during these times, so now is a great time to dust some of those off or continue to lean on them. I’ll be doing that with you. Loving you bunches!