Belling the Cat
Good morning. Welcome to the Healing Reflection. This is a safe place for you to come NEAR grief and move toward healing.
Intention
Set an intention to be compassionate with yourself about all the responsibilities you might feel. Find one person to ask for help and if they are busy, ask another.
NOTICE
Notice your energy level today. If you had to describe your energy as an animal, what animal would it be? Does your energy feel like a snail, slow and gradual movement? Or does it feel like a rabbit, nervous energy waiting for the next detail that has to be completed. Just notice if your energy level were an animal, what do you need to do to nurture and support yourself? How does your energy level impact the ability to complete the demands being made of you right now?
EMOTIONS
How does it feel to think about your energy? Sometimes grief can feel heavy and it might impact how much energy you have? When my father died, I remember experiencing more pain in my body than ever before. I had gone through grief before, it was nothing new. But something about losing my father was a different, even deeper kind of loss. I encourage you to give yourself permission to rest when you feel tired, and not to judge your experience. There were times when I would go to bed at 6:30 at night and wake up the next morning at 8 am, 9 am, or 10 am. My experience is mine alone, so you may have a different version of how you experience energy and emotions at a time of loss. Be compassionate and kind to yourself in tough moments. What would a loving friend say to you? Name the emotion you are feeling right now.
ACTION
Listen to this Aesop’s tale and allow yourself to be compassionate with a task or tasks that might feel too big to do when in the thick of grief and loss.
Belling the Cat
The Mice once called a meeting to decide on a plan to free themselves of their enemy, the Cat. At least they wished to find some way of knowing when she was coming, so they might have time to run away. Indeed, something had to be done, for they lived in such constant fear of her claws that they hardly dared stir from their dens by night or day.
Many plans were discussed, but none of them was thought good enough. At last a very young Mouse got up and said:
"I have a plan that seems very simple, but I know it will be successful.
All we have to do is to hang a bell about the Cat's neck. When we hear the bell ringing we will know immediately that our enemy is coming."
All the Mice were much surprised that they had not thought of such a plan before. But in the midst of the rejoicing over their good fortune, an old Mouse arose and said:
"I will say that the plan of the young Mouse is very good. But let me ask one question: Who will bell the Cat?"
The Moral: It is one thing to say that something should be done, but quite a different matter to do it.
REFLECT
Reflect on what chore feels a lot like “belling the cat” to you right now. What do you need help with? What do you need to say, “not today” to? Just take a moment to and notice that there will be days where chores, demands ,… jobs feel like belling the cat and it’s okay to slow down, rest and take care of yourself. You matter. Thank you so much for reading. Have a beautiful day. You are not alone.
Note: The audio's background music ("Our Beautiful Project") is provided by: https://www.purple-planet.com. Images provided by Canva. Aesop story is provided by Library of Congress Aesop Fables (read.gov)