So, whether you are married or living with housemates or extended family members, how do you avoid the very natural tendency - after 80 days confined together, more or less - to withdraw to your own space, and to your own personal virtual world of social media connections and video calls? In other words, how do we continue to lean into the relationships that are closest to us, and to make time to really hear one another?
If you are anything like us, this is a very real question. We can find ourselves in survival mode when, by necessity perhaps, we're not very in touch with our own feelings, let alone ready to share them with others. Or we can move into seeking distraction from the very uncomfortable place in which we find ourselves. Distraction could be in the form of entertainment, social media, and virtual connections, of course. It could also present itself as work and tasks related to our responsibilities. For some people, this season has ramped up their work busyness and it's harder than ever to create healthy boundaries and margins around work and rest.
Whatever our situation, there is a temptation to avoid the very relationships that are closest to us. In my case, these are obviously my relationships with my husband and two daughters. So this morning, Tim and I decided to connect over a morning cuppa brewed up by the fire pit. Boiling a kettle on an open fire takes that much longer than the conventional way! Waiting for the kettle to boil created time for us to sit in the morning air, enjoying the quiet before the day got properly underway. In this uncluttered space we could share a bit about what's on our minds these days, and in talking about it feel more connected to one another, and to ourselves, and to God.
The Brits tend to think that a cup of tea is the answer to most situations - an appropriate solution to most of what ails us; to a need for comfort, or compassion, or warmth, or just to fill a few vacant minutes. Me, I think a good chat around an open fire might be an even better response!
How about you? How are you leaning in to your most important relationships these days?
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