What is Essential?

ESSENTIAL

I hear and see this word a lot these days.

According to Antoine de Saint-Exupery, from his book, The Little Prince,

“It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye.”

If I look up 'essential' in the New World Dictionary of the American Language, here is what I find:

Essential, as an adjective:

1.       Of or constituting the intrinsic, fundamental nature of something; basic; inherent

2.       Absolute; complete; perfect

3.       Absolutely necessary; indispensable; requisite

4.       Containing, or having the properties of, a concentrated extract of a plant, drug, food

Essential, as a noun:

1.       Something necessary or fundamental; indispensable; inherent or basic feature or principal

What is essential in this moment?

Your breathing and the fact that you are breathing.

If you are reading this piece, then it is safe to assume that you are breathing.

The quality of your breathing is directly related to the quality of your experience, moment to moment, day by day.

Imagine the breath and how you breathe as a reflection of the current state of your heart, mind, body and soul.

Just for a moment, imagine all the current information circulating. Social media, the news, email, forwards that your friends and family sent you just in case you did not see it in your personal feed or inbox. The intentions, I choose to believe, are good and come from a place of wanting to protect our loved ones, making sure we are all as informed as possible. However, how much information is essential to your health, short and long term?

There are commonalities shared during this pandemic and historic time on earth. Our wants and needs may differ depending on where we live, our socioeconomic status, cultural backgrounds, whether there is money in the bank, food on our table, we are alone or not, whether sleep was achieved or ellusive the night before, the current state of our health and that of our loved ones, as well as, the state of our hearts, bodies, minds and souls. The variables are countless.

One thing we have in common is the fact that we all breathe. Our lungs surround the heart. When we breathe, air moves along the back of the throat, our lungs expand. A reminder of life and energy circulating within. We are alive and we are sharing this time on earth. Living our unique experiences. 

Your throat chakra (energy center) is related to your capacity to listen deeply and communicate your truth. Creative communication. Your ability to listen to yourself, others and the silence in between.

In yogic philosophy, Satya, is the second of the yamas and means “truth”.  

In order to see with the heart, it is necessary to practice the art of being still and listening deeply. 

To all those deemed essential in the work force, our frontline workers, my heart and gratitude abound for your presence, talents, knowledge and service. To all the volunteers, all of us working in some way to constribute towards safety and health of our neighbors and loved ones, near and far, the unity felt is palpable. 

In some way, shape or form, we have the opportunity to pause, check in and listen. Possibly more now than ever imagined before.

The first time it was mandated that I stay home and be still was during my second pregnancy. Just shy of six months, I began experiencing real contractions. The threat of premature labor. This was before yoga or meditation were formally introduced in my life. At first, my doctor prescribed partial bedrest. I was allowed to work half days. Twenty nine years old and driven. It was challenging to slow down. I pushed the limits. Then, I was prescribed full bedrest plus three different meds. One of the side effects was tachycardia. Be still and feel your heart race, was what I heard in my mind.

For the first two weeks, I felt like I was climbing the walls and did everything I could to find entertainment. Books, magazines, tv. I watched Doctor Phil. That wasn't working for me. The beeping of dump trucks moving around the neighborhood while houses were being built was a constant.

Then, I realized that I might never experience this much quiet again. I was learning how to listen around and between the beeps. Maybe years would pass before being this still might happen in my life again.

I learned how to be still, to listen deeply and to be with my own company. My concerns regarding employment were minimal. There were designs on the table, the office staff and crew could stay busy. And, I could play a small part and do some drawing while laying down. I also put together our wedding album while on my back. I remember the imitation orchid flowers blooming outside the window. Rain. Broccoli and eggs with cheese that Javier would make me for breakfast. The rhythm of my husband and son coming and going from our home set a pace for our days.

That was just one family, one time and income was constant. Although, it should be said that self-employment is, I have learned, synonymous with un-employment and there have been many times in our lives when funds were not coming through the door. I learned to be creative during those times. Re-inventing oneself and refreshing a brand is mandatory in the business world in order to evolve with the rest, survive and thrive.

Now, there are countless families at home. Ours included. Many are unemployed. As are we. Mostly. I have two outdoor living designs on my table. They fuel my spirit and contribute to the bank account and still, they will only go so far in keeping either one of us employed until we can formally go back to work again. Like many, we contribute in various ways towards moving funds to ensure there is food on more tables than our own. Saved for a rainy day. Now, it is raining.

What is essential? Breathing, life, food, health, safety, community, connection, compassion, kindness, love, pressing pause on our differences – in particular right now – recognizing there are different ways to practice self care and contribute to the health and wellbeing of our fellow human beings. Choosing to believe that we are all doing our best to be safe and protect one another. That may sound dreamish and yet, why not? Positivity is contagious. Connection is essential.

One of the greatest lessons I have learned in twenty five plus years of building is, Do what you can. Today. There are always bumps and setbacks in design and build. Hitting a wall of what cannot get done is built into the field. Materials don’t arrive on time, a team member loses a family member and is off work indefinitely, clients take time to make decisions, the architect needs to see more building developed before proposing details and finish ideas that will make a creation sing, the engineer is putting together an estimate that is dependent on the prices supplied by suppliers and subcontractors. The list goes on. The interconnectedness of us all is inherent in the game. Frustration is high on the experience of design and build as is constantly being reminded of what cannot be or get done, either momentarily or ever, alone. The practice of patience is key to sanity and wellbeing. Pushing the edge and constantly looking at what CAN be done is essential if you ever dream of designing or building, anything, for yourself or another.

Building is a lesson in resiliency, working together and continuing to move forward regardless of the myriad of setbacks presented daily.

We all have different lenses and our experiences are unique. However, as long as we all shall live, we will breathe, our hearts will beat and we can, if we choose, cultivate the art of listening deeply and seeing with our hearts.

On that note, I offer you an inquiry:

What is essential to you?

What do you see?

When you listen deeply, what do you hear?

When we share our personal experiences, perspectives, our unique truths, there is an opportunity to connect at a deeper level. A possibility to know one another. To see each other.

After your inquiry, and if you feel moved to do so, feel free share a personal story on your own page - tag Healing Winds, if you will, please. 

Recognize your voice as a valuable bridge between your mind and heart. When you know that truth within you, that leads to healing, wholeness, peace and wellness. When you share that authentic voice, your truth and exprience, that is a gift to others. 

When we share our authentic voices and cultivate the art of listening deeply, we hone our ability to connect with each other. Heart to heart.

What is essential? Love. Connection. In order to survive and thrive, we need one another.

Thank you for reading and for being. If this writing has inspired you in any way, please pass it on.

Wishing you health, love and peace,

Tehroma

P.S. At the beginning of every week, I choose a topic for my writing that happens at the end of the week. At dinner last night, with my husband, twenty two year old son and fifteen year old daughter, I mentioned that I had written this piece. Then, I looked at my daughter's shirt. The word ESSENTIAL was written across the front :) I said, your shirt! She looked down, looked at me, smiled and said, I AM ESSENTIAL! So true. And so are YOU!

For more stories and writings, feel free to visit our website: 

healingwinds.space and click on Blog. 

I started writing and sharing in the fall of 2015. Sporadically.  

At onset of this year,  I committed to writing and sharing one post a week. 

This is probably the hardest year to stick to it. 

All the more reason to write and share. From the heart.