I must admit that it’s not easy to “live upward” in “COVID Times.” We are limited in where we can go, what we can do, and who we can touch. This New Reality is isolating, and disconnects us from our extended families and communities.

But as separate as we all feel, don’t we still BELONG? In fact didn’t we choose to physically isolate ourselves not just for our well-being but for the well-being of our community and the planet to which we BELONG? We made a choice. And it was one that was necessary and profoundly purposeful because it contributed to the well-being of all life. We chose to belong to and be a participant in the Greater Good, and thus we created meaning beyond the boundaries of our own lives. This is the essence of living upward!

Will you and I get lonely and doubtful during these coming weeks of the pandemic and beyond? YES…often! But when those feelings threaten to overwhelm, we will become still for a moment and remember our choice, remember that we belong, and remember that we have a part in this essential movement toward living upward. And when we do, those doors that often feel as if they are shut tight, will open onto the world, and we will find ourselves right where we belong.