By Ruth Bayang
NORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY
As I start to resume my social life and re-engage with friends in real life after almost two months in relative pandemic isolation, a popular question seems to be, “What have you been doing?” or “What are you doing lately?”
Up until recently, my answer had been, “Not much.”
Now, I’m changing it to, “I’m not. I’m being.” And I sometimes get a puzzled look in response.
What is ‘being’? For me, it means being still. Not necessarily still physically, but still mentally and turning off the ‘monkey mind.’
We, as humans, tend to fill our day with things to do and the pandemic has been a blessing, in my opinion. It has forced a lot of us to be with ourselves, to reflect, and to look within. We are human beings, after all, not human doings.
Tending to my being means being kind to myself, and that means doing things for me, things that I love, things that nourish my soul—anything from quiet meditation, to lying in a hammock on my deck, to enjoying the water on a kayak, paddleboard, or boat, hiking on the plethora of trails available to us in the Puget Sound region, lending an ear to friends, reading a book, journaling, taking naps, listening to music, dancing to said music in my living room because my body feels like moving, driving on a whim to the ocean or anywhere scenic and remote, being in nature, getting a massage or manicure, exercising at home or the gym, dining out, adding small decorative touches to my home because it brings me joy, sharing some of these activities with friends—really focusing on self-care and my state of being.
Some of my friends aren’t comfortable meeting face to face. I spend time with friends who are.
I’ve reconnected with old friends, even made some new ones.
I’ve signed up for at least four online courses to stay sharp mentally and professionally. One of the courses was 12 weeks of learning to love yourself… a very interesting one that I highly recommend!
The underlying thread of all this has been to nourish my being. We attract to our lives who we are, what we think, what we speak, and who we’re being.
I suppose this is my version of ‘stop and smell the roses.’ I can’t control anything outside of my own life—the pandemic, politics, etc. so why stress about it? I focus only on what I can control.
Who are you being today? And how is your spirit?