chi

It is palpable sometimes, the energy around us. We can enter a place or space and feel something good, or its opposite. This isn’t contrived; there are ways to measure the “feel” of the environment around us, techniques that are scientifically valid to objectify the vibe that is in the air. Living things emit radiation. They absorb it too. We all travel inside and through spheres of electromagnetic waves.

I have become accustomed to seeing myself as a recipient within life’s force fields. Walk into a room, sense its welcome (or lack thereof), and make the appropriate adjustments. Shields are necessary in some places – defensive energy postures that protect. Other spaces afford more safety. The wall of wariness constructed around me need not be so thick when I move within such zones of acceptance.

A recent change in jobs has reminded me that there is a certain selfishness to this pattern of setting responsiveness. It is rather one-sided. Adjusting my level of engagement to situations in a way that only brings positive to positive places and people may shelter me from negativity but does little to enhance the world around me. When like only leans into like, things become more compartmentalized. Each time I withdraw, everything around me becomes more separated, individuated. The more I excel at raising my energy shell, the further I learn to isolate.

A walk in the forest yesterday helped me remember how important it is to give. It is easy to take; there is great safety, at least in the short-term, from inhaling the best from people around me. Who though is recharging those energy givers from whom I am nourished? It is the rare person who can maintain a steadfast posture of positivity amidst the cacophony of callousness that can bombard our senses. Everyone needs an opportunity to thrive. Positive energy – what many refer to as good “chi” – is meant to be shared.

It is fitting that the ponderosa pines reminded me of chi on the first day of Chinese New Year. Nature holds such restorative potential. It needs our protection if we are to continue to receive its benefits for centuries to come. It is critical that I, as one person, restore my own commitment to the cycle of chi in the world.

That’s why I’ve decided to adopt the acronym of c.h.i. for the next cycle of the suns (and moons). And here’s what the pines whispered to me yesterday when I wondered what each letter might stand for:

C – for compassion, caring, and a collaborate commitment to the common good.

H – for honesty, humor, humility, and – above all else – heart.

I – for integrity, intellectual engagement, and inspiration.

At a time when the world feels besieged by ugliness, at the beginning of a cultural and spiritual new year when the headlines pulse over infectious epidemics, at a moment in history when a growing number of people fret over freedoms and physical survival – I personally need something simple to hold onto, something that feels safe while being stimulating, something that reminds me that my life is not just about me but is also about you.

There is a beautiful rhythm to the movement from the Common good, through Heart, with the arrival at Inspiration, a flow the leads with ease and without effort back to compassion and a collaborative purpose. The beginning, middle, and end are connected. There is no beginning, middle, and end to the cycle. There is only continuance.

Chi is meant to be shared. We are meant to be bound with each other.

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