Week Nineteen: Dealing with Tragedy

As events unfolded on September 11th, I found myself numb with shock, then mobilized into activity – giving blood, initially – and then moved into tears of sorrow. The most challenging experience for me was to stay in the present moment, move through whatever I was feeling, and allow myself to be as aware as I could be of all the levels of emotion and reaction going on in me. Perhaps the deepest need was to speak to family and friends, to process my grief, and to feel an ongoing sense of connection with others.

Each of us meets this kind of experience uniquely, according to our personal style and to what gets triggered in us when we participate in a collective event of this magnitude. The moment-to-moment options also available to us involve how we choose to react and respond.

This week’s experiment asks you to explore your willingness to be with the complete range of feelings that may arise and move through you as you continue to adapt to the immensity of recent events. A major part of responding to disastrous events is to tell your story over and over again, so step one is to tell your story of where you were when you heard of the attacks, your response at that time, how you feel now, as often as you need to tell it.

There’s no “right” way to grieve, or to respond to tragedy. There is only your way – and this week’s experiment simply asks you to be aware of your personal way to move through distress. As with every experiment, please honor yourself – release any judgment, any demand that you be or feel this way or that.

Also, please remember that we are engaged in a collective experience of overwhelm, pain, and anger. As each of us allows our feelings to be present, to be conscious, to move through us, we ease a bit of the collective distress that is so present at this time. As we move back into a feeling of engagement with daily life, with our hopes and aspirations, we contribute a sense of possibility and aliveness available to all.

To all those who lost loved ones during the recent terrorist attacks, may I offer my heartfelt sympathy and condolences. May eased find you in time, and peace be your companion.

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