Let Beauty Rise

"It was the best of times ... it was the worst of times ..."   

(Charles Dickens - A Tale of Two Cities)

"The light shines in the darkness and the darkness cannot overcome it ..." (John 1:5)

The Dickens quote sums up much of what we are seeing in our world right now.  As someone so aptly put it this week, the world is on fire.  All around us we see Covid-19 numbers skyrocketing ... countries shutting borders ... people on lock down in their homes ... people anxious and panicking ... stories from all around the world of hoarding and empty supermarket shelves ... countless videos of people coming to physical blows over toilet paper ... it seems to be a very dark time.  I want you to know there is light in this darkness.  Little pockets of it are rising everywhere.

Here in Korea, we are entering a very early Spring.  At first glance, things are still brown and barren but there are small signs if you have the eyes to see.  Last week out walking, I noticed ... the tiniest unfurling of a delicate cherry blossom ... new green buds on a tree ... a pop of sunny yellow in the corner from the forsythia ... delicate pink of an early azalea ... all shyly just doing their thing ... bringing a hint of what is to come ... the explosion of Spring ... life - hope - joy.  I posted some pics and a friend replied with the idea that Songdo was further ahead in Spring than Seoul. The irony was, I had taken the pics in her backyard in Seoul.  She had walked the same area and seen none of it!  Our vision can be so consumed with the things immediately in our face, it causes us to miss the subtle.

I have been weathering this Covid storm in South Korea for the past month and a half, having finished my 5th week of working at home, practicing social distancing and living in self isolation, I am starting to find a rhythm and starting to see more clearly.  And what I see amongst the chaos and the mess ... in the midst of darkness ... is beauty rising.  It's powerful and stunning to watch.  The signs are there if you have the eyes to see ...

My beloved Italia is being hit hard but we see the human spirit rise up and people sing from their balconies ... Beauty rises.

A friend who has closed his gym ... thinking outside the box (literally) ... setting up home workouts for their people ... loaning out the equipment for members to use at home and using Zoom to provide connection and community whilst people are self isolating ... Connection and exercise are two powerful antidotes for anxiety and depression.  Beauty rises.

On a day I was struggling with disappointment and sadness, a Korean friend texts me out of the blue to see if I was ok and offering to help me purchase wipes and sanitizer online if I needed it ... Beauty rises.

An invitation to a friend's apartment for lunch to connect with her and her family ... Beauty rises.

People checking in on others ... helping with food ... leaving treats at doors within apartment complexes ... Beauty rises.

Kindness.  Compassion.  Selflessness.  Connection.  Community.  This is the way through this ... Reach out to someone ... we have different levels of self isolating ... you might not be able to go out so use your tech to connect.  If you are mobile, offer to pick up groceries for someone who is in the risk group.  If someone comes to your mind, don't dismiss it.  Check in on them.  And be kind to yourself ... breathe ... walk ... stay off obsessive media watching ...  acknowledge the feelings - fear - disappointment - sadness.  It is what it is.  It's ok to acknowledge it and then move on ... open your eyes and look ... see the beauty all around you.  It's rising and it's glorious.