Float On

Austin, TX | 2020 © Alicia Kae Miller

To move forward, we must first look back.

Remember this time last year?

What were you looking forward to as we approached a new decade?

I was anxious for belated January celebrations with friends and family in California and Idaho.

Little did I know then that time spent dining on fresh seafood from the mighty Pacific, cross-country skiing in Blaine County, and "wheels up" on my return flight to Austin would be my last for many months to come.

In the early days of the pandemic, I spent a great deal of time alone. This period of isolation included a favorite pastime, cloud watching.

As I continue to ponder clouds searching for the deeper meaning behind the year that was, I ask those that I find myself in deep conversation with, "when did you realize that the pandemic was a real health crisis?"

Similar to the question of "where were you when you first heard about 9/11?" the energy shifts and individual responses rapidly return. Joseph Campbell observes

We must be willing to let go of the life we planned so as

to have the life that is waiting for us.

With the trifecta of a global pandemic, social uprising, and information overload, 2020 has been a year of massive transformation.

I see shimmers of aspiration all around us. 
 
For example, without knowing it and more than once since Thanksgiving, someone ahead of me in the coffee queue bought my beverage. To keep Pay It Forward momentum, I followed a silent suit.
 
Our generosity of spirit, hope against hope, and desire to be better than we were yesterday, reflects the good that resides within us all: 

•    For the first time in sixty years, the canals in Venice run clear
•    Global activism is alive and well in youth change leaders
•    Kindness is a gift that continues to give 

Clouds are moody, and so are we. 

When you are having a rough day, look up at the clouds and notice how the atmosphere affects cloud behavior. Some days happy, unmoving, or downright angry.

Regardless of the mood, clouds are always replenishing Mother Earth with much-needed moisture. Likewise, as humanity sows seeds of love, we harvest a steady stream of collective prosperity.

Beyond provoking emotion, our shared connection with clouds includes a natural desire to nurture—also, the capacity to move from one climate to the next gracefully. Maya Angelou proposes

If you must look back, do so forgivingly. If you must look forward, do so prayerfully. However, the wisest thing you can do is be present in the present…gratefully.

Until we meet again, stay love-inspired and reminded that every life is precious and we are all in this together. ❤️

Good 2021 wishes to you + yours.

Yours in Solidarity, -akm

December 30, 2020

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