I landed on the Greek island of Corfu just in time - a day before many European borders started closing due to the Coronavirus in March 2020. I am doing a Workaway with some wonderful new friends on the northwest side of the island near the beach town of Arillas. I can't think of a better place to experience this time of worldly chaos than here.
I am blessed. Here I am - staying with the kindest couple, the most precious little baby boy, and a few cute puppies. When I arrived, there were three other Workawayers here - all amazing and sweet people - but due to the news of the border shutdowns, they flew back home within a week of my arrival. I am grateful we all got to spend a beautiful day together, hiking and enjoying one of the most colorful and peaceful beaches.
Like most of the world, we are currently under quarantine. We can only go out to get groceries or to exercise. This isn't really a problem as we spend most of our days working in the house or out in the garden, but it of course takes away from our ability to explore more of this beautiful island. I still venture out to go running around the village so I can soak in all the wonderful colors of spring that surround us.
I love the natural alarm clock we have around here - the chirping of the birds and the ringing of the church bells. As soon as the dawn breaks, the birds start singing their songs and I know the sun is about to make its way up from behind the mountains in the distance. I'm filled with a sense of awe as I enjoy the sun rising from behind the mountains in the distance. The mist over the valley, the smell of spring, and the cool morning air are the perfect concoction to awaken all the senses.
A lot may have been cancelled but our ability to enjoy one another's presence and to soak in the beauty of mother Nature has not. Life's abundance has not ceased existing. The spring blooms just as fully and abundantly as it always has. And if go within, so can we find that place of abundance and peace from which we can keep blossoming even as the craziness out there unfolds.
Nothing warms my heart quite like life in a small village. A daily bread truck stops in the village square, right by the house, in the early afternoon hours. The sweet elderly Greek ladies gather by the truck to exchange a few word and get their fresh daily loaf. People work outside on their gardens and seem to be in tune with nature's rhythms. The sense of community around here makes it feel like everyone's just one big family - and on a larger scale, we all truly are.
The beautiful thing is that we are all learning how to be human together. Sometimes it is necessary for our shadows to be illuminated so that we see them for what they are, work through them, and then choose to focus our attention on the light. But our shadows can only have power over us if we let them. If we forget who we are - the one that perceives it all. Everything we label good or bad still has to appear in front of our consciousness. We are not that which appears before us - we are literally that which is greater than our external circumstances We have paradigms to shift. But change on the scale of humanity always starts on the level of individuals. As we learn to understand ourselves, we can better understand others - through compassion. When we see our fears for the shadows they are, we can help shine a light on the fears of another. One by one, we realize ourselves to be the rays of sunshine we have always known ourselves to be.
❤ SO