REGENERATION

 

Locusts started invading Madagascar in November 2011. Due to political unrest no solution could be reached internationally to their cries for aid.  In February 2013, Cyclone Haruna struck,  creating optimal conditions for locust breeding.

 

By late March 2013, approximately 50% of the country was infested by swarms of locusts, with each swarm consisting of more than one billion insects. The authorities changed the situation to plague status. According to one eyewitness, “You don't see anything except locusts. You turn around, there are locusts everywhere" – Wikipedia

"The UN estimates that about two-thirds of the island country will be affected by the locust plague by September 2013 if no action is taken."- BBC. There are talks of famine as the swarms decimate the rice yield.

Eating locusts: the crunchy, kosher snack taking Israel by swarm - Hebblethwaite

 

 

In Israel, locust swarms are periodic and although you cannot eat yourself out of a plague, locusts are kosher and are eaten as a delicacy. For the uninitiated, they are served crunchy - an effect that is best achieved as follows:

Drop them into a boiling broth, clean them off, and roll in a mixture of flour, coriander seeds, garlic and chilli powder. Then deep-fry them.

Pan-frying is another good option, and they are "crunchy, tasty and sweet” mixed with caramel and sprinkled into meringue.

Locusts are high in protein, and also zinc and iron - minerals which many people around the world are lacking - and they emit very little in the way of greenhouse gases.

Locusts are a valuable source of income for women in Niger, who get up early to collect them from the millet fields, and then sell them at the market. They make more money from the locusts on the millet than the millet itself.

Arnold van Huis, Professor of Tropical Entomology at Wageningen University in the Netherlands is one of the world's leading advocates for eating insects.

Could it be that what has become a Crisis situation in Madagascar may, with education, have a silver lining? Could the scourge of famine actually have been provision?

LOCUST SWARM AS A REFLECTION OF A PERSONAL LIFE CRISIS

I believe there are lessons within these news articles for all of us: 

1.     “You don't see anything except locusts. You turn around, there are locusts everywhere" – Our own trauma can blind us to all else.  Initially, this is perfectly normal; there seems no escape, no solution!

2.    “2/3 of the country will be infected if no action is taken” – Our crisis may become progressive, overwhelming us. We need help from outside of ourselves, we cannot find solutions to every crisis alone.

3.    Talks of famine – Negative thinking blocks our minds, negative talk  demotivates us. We may become fearful and even experience a sense of hopelessnessv.

4.    Locusts are high in protein, and also zinc and iron; Locusts are a valuable source of income for women in Niger - There are so often solutions found in the wisdom of counsel, direction and in the provision of God. God can turn our mourning into dancing. 
 

5. Locusts turn out to be provision and a means of delicious food! - Trials can definitely turn into blessings with the right ingredients!

Could it be that in the midst of our “swarm”or even our "plague",  there are treasures to be found?  The very “locust” which causes such destruction, such havoc; could it also be the means to our salvation?

Could this be?

A place where growth occurs

A place for creativity

 A place where values are explored

 

Something to think about...

 

THE SOUND OF SILENCE

A tree falls in the forest and no one is around to hear it….does it make a sound?

The definition of sound is "something that you hear." No one's there to hear the tree fall…is there sound? 

I realised in reading this that it is an astonishing picture of periods in my life when I feel alone. Have you ever felt like “no one has heard the tree fall” in your life, no one really acknowledges your crisis or loss: you feel so alone in an experience that it is as if no one noticed…there was no sound, no one sees your pain? 

We need someone to acknowledge our pain, to be there for us so that we can share and find meaning in our experience.

We need others. We need fellowship i.e. “the condition of sharing similar interests, ideals, or experiences, as by reason of profession, religion, or nationality or the companionship of individuals in a congenial atmosphere and on equal terms”.

 

 

 
 
 

Loneliness has negative connotations in our society and manifests in a sense of isolation. 

We feel that there is a void but at the same time must acknowledge that it is possible to be with the wrong people and still feel lonely—perhaps the most bitter form of loneliness.

Solitude on the other hand, is something you choose. Solitude restores body and mind where as loneliness seems to deplete them.

Paul Tillich believes that loneliness expresses the pain of being alone and solitude expresses the glory of being alone. 

Subsequently, we begin to realise that there is more here than mere words; our minds need to engage with this in order to make sense of “being alone”.

It would seem that there is a journey, a path and a wilderness to walk through and the challenge of this journey is in finding our way from a place of loneliness, this wilderness to a place of solitude.

Henri Nouwen states in his Pathways to Life and the Spirit that a waiting person is someone who is present to the moment, believing that this moment is ‘the’ moment. He leads us to believe that living in the present is the means of navigating this pathway we seek. Enjoying each moment for what it holds.

 

 

 
 

Isolation is aloneness that feels forced upon you, like a punishment. 

Solitude is aloneness you choose and embrace (Jeanne Marie Laskas).  

I believe great things can come out of solitude; out of going to a place where all is quiet except the beating of your own heart. You have to search out that place of being…being comfortable, being by yourself in order to truly open yourself up to what you want most.

“The pain in loneliness comes from all that surrounds it, not the act itself. And when you spend enough quality time alone, you realize that it is indeed nothing to fear. You realize that you, by yourself, are happy and are confirmed in life and worth by everything around you. And though it will not take the edge off of the painful moments that lead to us being alone, it is worth reminding ourselves that just because we’re eating alone at a restaurant doesn’t mean we aren’t in wonderful company!” 

– C Fagan, Paris

 

 

 
 
 

In the waiting embark on this journey out of loneliness, ask the question; can we separate our being ‘alone’ from being ‘lonely’? Can we find comfort in being alone?

I have walked this road on many an occasion and am entirely a better person for it. 

METAMORPH

A Caterpillar becomes A Beautiful Butterfly

Our striving for joy, contentment and happiness can in reality seem like a fuzzy dream. 

A caterpillar crawling along a leaf one day, looked up and saw a beautiful butterfly passing overhead and wondered: 'I would love to be like her; is it possible, could this happen to me someday?'

Now in adulting we know that the cost is high and the means complex for the caterpillar’s dream to become a reality. The transformation from caterpillar to chrysalis to butterfly is a perfect metaphor for what we may experience in life. 

An interesting fact to begin: In ancient Greece the word for soul or psyche was often described as a butterfly.

And so…Once upon a time……

A man found a cocoon of a butterfly. One day a small opening appeared, he sat and watched the butterfly for several hours as it struggled to force its body through that little hole.

And then …..it seemed to stop making any progress. It appeared as if it had gotten as far as it could and it could go no farther. 

O No! The man decided to ‘help’ the butterfly, so he took a pair of scissors and snipped open the remainder of the closed cocoon. The butterfly could now emerge ever so easily.

But …the poor butterfly had a swollen body and small, shrivelled wings instead of a lithe body and full beautiful wings. 

The man continued to watch the butterfly because he expected that, at any moment, the wings would enlarge and expand to be able to support the body, which would shrink in time.

Neither happened!

In fact, the poor butterfly spent the rest of its life crawling around with a swollen body and shrivelled wings.

It never was able to fly. What a sad story. 

What went wrong? 

What the man, in his kindness and haste, did not understand was that the restricting cocoon and the struggle required for the butterfly to get through the tiny opening, was the way of forcing fluid from the body of the butterfly into its wings so that it would be ready for flight once it achieved its freedom from the cocoon. 

The butterfly is created in this way, he is made perfect through his struggle; his struggle has purpose and reason.

During the transformation of the caterpillar into the butterfly, the caterpillar’s skin is incapable of stretching, so it has to accommodate its expanding self by shedding or moulting its skin. In the same way there are things in life that we have to leave behind in order to develop. 

There are relationships to shed and bad habits, addictions and bad behaviour to overcome. There are skills to learn along the way.

Struggles are exactly what we need in our lives! 

If we go through life without any difficulties, we too would be weak, self absorbed and emotionally crippled. We would miss out on so much good. You cannot see our wonderful world when you are crawling on your belly! We are created to experience new things, to love and to reach out and serve others.

Our transformation often starts with dissatisfaction. Eternity is set into the human heart and we therefore feel uncomfortable, irritated, frustrated and sad when we are immature. There may be a desperation to find meaning, passion, and purpose in our lives. The onset of this transformation often comes to us as a search within loss.

We can experience divorce, job loss, the death of a parent or financial issues. Life as we have known  it changes and we find ourselves between who we were and who we are becoming. 

Most of us hate change. We hate the unknown. We like to be in charge and in control of things and therefore look for the easy route, a distraction or a way of anaesthetising the pain. 

We can learn from our story above, an easy escape often leaves us crippled in life.

We need to embrace struggles, walk through our grief and heal well from trauma so that we mature. The results of those painful, hurting moments can produce growth and new life. 

What the caterpillar calls the end of the world the Master calls a butterfly." - Richard Bach

SAY NO!

'No' uttered from the deepest conviction is better than a 'Yes' merely uttered to please, or worse, to avoid trouble.
Mahatma Gandhi




We know we should, we want to, but something holds us back...........Uumm okay, yes!
Now we know we are in trouble because we have overcommitted ourselves, we are going to have to juggle our schedule......all because we could not say, "No."

Why do we do this? What are some reasons we struggle to say no? 
Could it be fear?

1. Fear of conflict
2. Fear of missed or lost opportunities
3. Fear that the person asking may feel rejected

When you are motivated by kindness, you are liable to be abused by people and their circumstances more than others. People will play on your good heartedness but eventually saying "no" is your only option and your only way to stop this abuse.

CNN.com gives a great example:

Request: A friend in need asks for a money loan.

What you should say: "I wish I could, but as a rule, I don't lend money to friends."

Why it works: It's clear that you are not singling out this person as untrustworthy.

Why you shouldn't feel guilty: Lending any amount of money can cause problems, says communications trainer Don Gabor. "It can change the nature of your relationship if the person doesn't pay you back."

How to avoid the situation in the future: Never lend money to friends and you won't get a reputation as a walking, breathing ATM.

My own guide: If I feel I can or want to help; I give not as a loan but as a gift.

How do we take steps to protect ourselves?

Firstly, we must know what is important to us and what is not? Does the request align with our value system? Is this request a priority for us? Is there something else we have committed to?

Secondly, we need to understand that we are not rejecting the person, only the request. It is important to make this clear to the person; we value them but we cannot fulfil the request.

Grossman states that if you continue to feel responsible for how others react to your ‘no,’ you are agreeing to be a part of an unhealthy relationship that is based in distorted concepts of responsibility. Your only hope for a healthy relationship is to continue to work toward breaking your own patterns of unhealthy responsibility.

NO is your protection. 

It does not need explanation. Let your yes be YES and your no, NO.

NO does not always make you popular. People are not used to absolutes.
NO makes dominant and controlling people angry, they may react with self-pity.
NO is not mean.
NO is the path to Stress relief. We are doomed to be overcommitted if we can't say no.
NO leads to longer term success.

No is a wonderful word and we need to learn to say it and not feel guilty. Often it is hard to say no but when you've done it you feel like a Giant - Liardon

Notes to Self:
A. Some people don't give up easily, nor should you... stick to your decision. It takes courage.  ~ Peter Bregman

B. Tone is the hardest part of saying no, be gentle but firm.

C. Silence says yes to people.

D. If you do not say no to yourself, you won't have the strength to say no to others in circumstances that call for it.

 

Saying no allows others opportunities they wouldn’t have if you always say yes…

Saying “No” is about knowing (“No”-ing) your personal boundary.

Be strong and courageous!

 

E - MOTION

Emotion is e-nergy in motion.

Emotions can be accurately considered to be the driving force and vitality of the energy of life. They determine "behaviour" and the means and resources to solve problems for survival. ~Arek

Emotion refers to a range of feeling states which often shape our experience, making it vital that we learn to gauge our emotional tone/level. 

So often we are ambushed by our emotions as we realise too late that we are sapped of all energy.  An adjustment is required in other areas of our lives as our depleted emotional energy undermines our physical, mental and spiritual capabilities. This may occur due to our ignorance or disconnectedness with our inner world or by trauma. 

When it comes to energy, our emotions fall into one of two categories: high energy emotions and low energy emotions. High energy negative emotions i.e. anger, grief, panic and bitterness throw our bodies into a state of high alert causing an impulse of fight or flight. 

Our bodies’ stress mechanisms become drained as they try to keep up and our immune system plummets. We end up not only emotionally and actively low but also susceptible to infections, allergies and disease.

What factors can affect your emotional tone and thus your energy levels?

An example : You are unhappy in your work environment, the toxicity of that situation undermines your confidence, hope and self-esteem which then leads to high energy negative emotion. 

Robert Burney states that in such a situation, the employer has ignored the difference between our mental needs and the internal emotional component of each individual.  

There is an high possibility that employees will not recover if that internal emotional element is not dealt with.

Many an employee has walked out of the door because they are exhausted! 

A family crisis can have a similar effect causing confidence and self-esteem to be undermined, hope lost and high energy emotions to ambush us. I believe that it is imperative for us all to understand the rhythmic cycle of energy within us so that we can deal with life's difficulties. 
 

In order to recharge, we need to recognise the costs of energy-depleting behaviours and then take responsibility for changing them, regardless of the circumstances we are facing. - Tony Schwartz. 

 

Schwartz states that the more we feel our value is being challenged and the more energy we spend defending and restoring it, the less energy we have left to create value.

Life satisfaction can be restored by:

1.    Identifying and naming feelings

2.    Identifying the thoughts and meanings associated with the feelings

3.    Expressing feelings which have been suppressed

4.    Exercising self-control

5.    Identifying and solving problems systematically

6.    Listening to and understanding the points of view of others

7.    Communicating what we think and feel honestly and clearly

8.    Taking responsibility for the consequences of choices we make and the way we behave

9.    Accepting our own feelings and those of others without blame or judgement

(Franciscus)

 

In each area of our lives, energy can be stretched and transformed by taking time to establish definite rituals and behaviours that we can practise with intent and schedule with precision e.g. coffee breaks, conversations with friends, prayer, walks etc. 

We can also recharge our energy levels when we take time out to “rest”. 

What does rest mean in these days of ongoing activity? It means freedom from work, strain or activity.   

A body is at rest, when it ceases to move. The mind is at rest, when it ceases to be disturbed or agitated.  

As we become more aware of our lifestyle and the impact of our environment upon us, we can restore the balance and replenish our emotional well-being in a positive way.In some aspects of our lives we may have ‘no say’ but others can be managed and we can learn the need to schedule rituals and behaviours which will positively impact our energy levels and simultaneously revive our emotional tone leading to rejuvenating rest.

There are places of rest to quiet your heart...places of hope to renew your spirit...places of joy to delight your soul.