RESPOND, DON'T REACT

As I awaken on this beautiful spring morning, I head for my coffee cup, and listen in stunned silence to the news. As of today, there are 54,453 reported cases and 737 deaths just in America alone... For a moment, I feel my jaw tense, the adrenaline rise, a panic stirs in my chest.

And then I remember this rainy-day incident a few months ago:

Caught in the grips of gridlock all along Park Avenue, I gave up worrying about getting to my meeting on time. Letting the cabbie do the driving, my mind drifted from soggy Park Ave. to my various tasks.

Jolting me out of my thoughts, a homeless man started ranting and raving, pointing threateningly at my cabbie and the hood of the cab. The light changed. Folks hurriedly maneuvered to get by the bumper to bumper cars with umbrellas turned inside out. But we were not going anywhere with this guy smack in the center of the intersection. In a flash of ancient body shifting, my cabbie instinctively readied to fight till the death. 

Not needing a knight in shining armor, I heard myself say to his image in the rear- view mirror, “It’s not worth it. It doesn’t matter. Let it be.” Just as quickly, my cabbie pulled it together. We both smiled as he looked over his shoulder at me. Turning back, he let this crazy-making guy continue across the street. We drove on. I laughed to myself, “Now he is my hero.” Unwittingly, my cabbie played out one of my favorite Ageless principles: Respond. Don’t React.  

 We’ve all been there. Some triggering remark, even just body language alone, Voila! Instantly back on the school playground or around our childhood kitchen table. Whether at work or at home, here and around the globe, all our ancestral and learned fight or flight reactive modes come into action. Thank goodness we have them. Let’s save them for when we really need to stand up and protect ourselves, and all that matters most to us. 

 Unfortunately, we all go into that mode rather easily. It takes a lot of vigilance and practice to disengage from old destructive patterning. Especially when they are so deeply rooted in our soma, right down to the cellular level. 

 Every altercation, challenge and unexpected change is a call to attention. A mini wake up call. In every situation we have the opportunity to make new choices, or revisit others made previously. Over time we have garnered a rich portfolio to draw upon. Sometimes all it takes is to step out of the situation and take a big picture view. Then, listening to that voice inside, we’ll know how to respond.

 The looming threats of this new pandemic challenges our world view. We can’t stay asleep at the wheel. Every media source is trumpeting this dramatic news,yet offering no sure-fire solutions. Our science and health communities have known about the possible threat of a pandemic for several years. No surprise, they’ve been far under-funded and/or totally eliminated under our current administration. 

Where have we been as a nation, much less the world community? Apparently. we’ve been caught with our pants down…again. Aids, Breast Cancer, Bird Flu, now CoVid-19.

Now all we have is lots of fear--sure to produce knee-jerk reactions in all of us: Below the line waves of terror. Constant anxiety. Nothing any of us can do about it seems, except panic. 

Mayor Bloomberg and his administration on the other hand were truly First Responders 1.5 decades ago as we faced the Bird Flu pandemic. They studied the situation: gathering and evaluating data. They were ready for such a possibility. I don’t know if they had a full-fledged plan or if they’ve had sufficient practice runs. But they appeared to move smoothly into action. Manhattan’s leaders demonstrated the epitome of 1st Respondership: Stay on top of change, perform frequent situation analysis, examine the facts, trends and patterns, use your instincts, trust your gut and take considered and timely action.

Our modus operandi is to put out fires or affix band-aids. Most of us are on automatic pilotas we rush through our life and our years. We race against some unseen timepiece and lose sight of the road. Just check your smart phone. Overscheduled. Out of whack. Reacting to whatever is loudest or hurts the most. Current events are only reflections of our own lives and out of balance way of life.

Apparently, we’ve fallen asleep at the wheel of a good life. Or perhaps disillusioned, we’ve veered off the road into the ditch of reactivity. So, what do we do now?

If we all get clear on what we want and are prepared for what this new future will bring post-pandemic, it will be far easier to know when and how to respond. As 1ststresponders in our own lives and as responsible citizenry, we all need to take stock frequently. 

Revising plans, updating guidelines and revitalizing commitments should be standard fare in the remote office, at school and around the kitchen table -- most especially now while we live/work in isolation while in the midst of this pandemic. 

I’m imploring you with my urgent recommendation to us all is to put everything non-essential on PAUSE. Take this forced time-out to truly breathe and ponder what truly matters, again. Consider not what is lost, but what you envision for post-pandemic. This is where the truth lies, waiting like a bud to open. All we need to re-bud and flower again is this time-out to nurture our aspirations and to reclaim what really matters. 

Remember there is an after-life after this CoVid-19 pandemic. And, its right here on Mother Earth, if she’ll invite us back. Let’s not waste this structural change now in motion as we heal ourselves and our planet. For this horrific plague can be a gift for the future so that we never ever are caught with our pants down again! Structural changes are never fun, but the future they spawn is always far better than the past destroyed in its wake.

At every stage and age, as leaders and innovators, we need tools, models, skills training and up-to-date knowledge to guide us. But sometimes like my cabbie and me, we are called to respond on the spot. Responsiveness wins over reactivity in every instance. 

How are you mining the precious out of this time out?