Lower the bar.  Don’t worry about what you are accomplishing, there are more important things to consider during these times.  I recently had this posed to my by someone asking that isn’t this the time to lower the bar, if only for a bit?  

I had to sit with this for a moment as my initial reaction was quite strong. Lowering the bar has never been the answer for me.  Pushing through and reaching the bar is what I know because there is always more work to be done, more learning to be accomplished, more cleaning to do, more books to read, more…just fill in the blank.  However, I reminded myself, we are all facing different challenges that a mere three months ago we hadn’t even considered.  So maybe there was some validity in exploring this option.  

What does lowering the bar with expectations of my normal activities look like in this time of pandemic?  Some of the things I have noticed is that I have found it important to get more sleep, to meditate more often, to enjoy the additional quiet time with myself, to just embrace what is.  So perhaps lowering the bar with regards to my productivity for others means raising the bar for caring for myself.  Interesting how in lowering the bar in one respect raises it in another.  It is just a matter of perspective.

As with so many things in life, I have often seen something from one direction, one viewpoint based on my experiences and I make a judgement.  I come to a conclusion. I forget the exact same action, event or occurrence can represent many different things and have a multitude of meanings to other people or even myself.  This is a lesson I first learned many years ago and which I was reminded of again today. 

When I was only 21, I had the occasion to travel to Los Angeles, accompanied by my supervisor and the owner of the company where I worked.  Having grown up in a small community and very conservative family, I had little life experience and was still very naive about how much of the world worked.  After parking in the large concrete and steel parking structure that was likewise surrounded by towering concrete and steel buildings, we found our way to the entrance of our destination.  For a brief moment before entering the building, the three of us stopped and in silence viewed a beautiful waterfall feature that seemed so out of place amongst the functional, man made structures which surrounded us.  Finally my supervisor made a comment marveling about the engineering and construction skills that went into creating the feature.  The owner of the company then commented on how he had been thinking of the waste of money and resources the decorative waterfall represented when there are so many unmet needs in the world.  And me, I kept quiet as I had been thinking of the beauty and how wonderful it was to find this treasure here amongst the concrete and steel.  Three people, the exact same place and time viewing the exact same thing and yet three very diverse experiences, each one valid.  

I hold this memory close because it taught me so much and yet, I get caught up in life and forget the lesson.  Being asked to lower the bar brought it back to me and I am grateful for that.  Right now what each of us is experiencing is probably drastically different from another, and yet, we all have a common experience of living through a pandemic.  And just like the waterfall feature that taught me many years ago what may be a lowered bar for some is a higher bar for others.  Everyone’s path is different.  Everyone’s history is different.  Everyone’s strengths are different.  Everyone’s weaknesses are different.  Everyone’s capacity is different.  Judgement  based on how I would react or behave has no place right now.  Compassion for ourselves and others is what we need more of not only during a pandemic but always.

Wishing you dear friend, much compassion and understanding for yourself and others on your heartfelt journey.~♥~