Saturday, May 31, 2014

The healing power of . . .


I woke up this morning feeling kinda poopy. It was one of those mornings when I felt like a "broken" person. When I feel like that, I sometimes wonder if it is all me, or if I am also feeling the pain and sadness everyone is feeling (I'm a bit of an emotional sponge).

I began thinking about what heals, what helps us feel more whole, and how there are a lot of things we say have "healing power":

  • Healing power of nature
  • Healing power of listening
  • Healing power of art
  • Healing power of hugs
  • Healing power of laughter
  • Healing power of tears
  • Healing power of animals
  • Healing power of children
  • Healing power of eating together
  • Healing power of food
  • Healing power of water
  • Healing power of sleep
  • Healing power of compassion
  • Healing power of friendship
  • Healing power of connection
  • Healing power of community 
  • Healing power of telling your story
  • Healing power of music
  • Healing power of silence
  • Healing power of medicine 
  • Healing power of movement
  • Healing power of prayer
  • Healing power of creating
  • Healing power of letting go
  • Healing power of love

Most of the things on the list usually refer to healing for an individual, or a small group, but I wonder if they work on a national, or global level. Can laughter heal injustice? Can eating together heal environmental destruction? Can music heal crime?

What I see on that list is a lot of basic human needs, activities and qualities. No single one of them is more "healing" than another.  Together, they form a quilt of things, and ways of being that help us feel whole.

So, if you wake up feeling poopy, try one of these healing powers (that's why I'm writing this blog post!), and if you are struggling with something that is "broken" on a community, systemic, or global level, why not try some of the healing powers as part of the solution? I have a feeling they'll help.

Photo by me with my iPhone (how cool is it to see the bee up close?!)