Everything Is Temporary

The Only Constant Is Change

Many have experienced significant job loss or reduced hours especially during the time of COVID. If you have ordered an item online, you will have likely experienced shipping delays. No more going out to eat for the time being. Malls and department stores are closed. Store shelves are almost bare. Large gatherings are mostly prohibited, and government offices have been forced to handle business via mail.

This is a very different landscape we are all living in when compared to several months ago yet along last year.

So what does the current COVID pandemic have to do with being mindful? Mindfulness is about the non-judgmental awareness of our surroundings as well as feelings. Accepting what is happening as the current state of being. 

The time we are gifted, no matter how difficult it may be for some, allows each and everyone of us to earnestly self-reflect on what is truly important in living a mindful life. With a mindful perspective, this situation offers us a positive time for reflection and self-growth.

When we become complacent with temporary stability we do not often challenge ourselves. At this time I invite you to think back to how we describe people from the 'Greatest Generation'. People from this time were born between 1901 through the 1920s and lived through the Great Depression up to and including World War II.

But what qualities or characteristics made them so great?

Was there something innate amongst them that made them different than those of us today? All of them were present during the Great Depression, so something had to be different. Or does it? 

If you recall this period was a time of great food shortages, minimal employment opportunities were to be found, and the stock market crash of 1929 exasperated all of the social and economic situations, uncertainty was everywhere. But none the less, you are here because your great grandparents or grandparents focused on what was important to life, loving kindness and family.

They were mindful of the food they ate, the clothing they wore, and the loving time they spent with each other. They did not overindulge but instead found the necessary balance to achieve a stability and balance to enjoy what they had. And much like today, they too, lived in uncertain times.

What they practiced then was almost, and certainly unknowingly, mindfulness in a sense. They were aware of their surroundings and accepted what they had with heartfelt gratitude. 

When we understand that all things are impermanent, we do not get disappointed when situations change for what may seem for the worse. After all, we do not react the same way when things change for what may seem for the better. 

But what makes a certain change positive or negative? It is perspective. A rainy day in June would be welcome to a farmer to sustain her crops where it would be an unwelcome event to a groom on his outdoor wedding venue.

This time of uncertainty we are currently experiencing is temporary and affords us the often sought-after time to grow, time to reflect, and time to be with family. This is truly a precious time but as we have been taught by the Buddha even joyous times are temporary.

Please feel free to comment below.

Wishing you peace and ease,

Vladimir

Blue Lotus Mindfulness and Meditation Center is a registered 501(c)(3) religious organization.