Diving Under

March 1, I learned of the shocking passing of a long-ago partner and a dear friend. He was killed instantly in a motorcycle accident. It’s cliche but my world tilted, the breath knocked out of me, a gut punch, and then a part of my foundation gone. Life is different now. World events conflated adding to this sense of shift, shock, and grief.

COVID-19, full stop. Everything we anticipated, all that was emerging in our lives and the world is undergoing a profound transformation. Our experiences are wide-ranging but there is no doubt that we are facing a defining moment, an inflection point that will influence everything that comes next. Our choice now — how we respond to create a new future.

Each morning grows more surreal, waking to remember the altered shape of life. I woke thinking about the ocean. Unprepared, I felt myself diving under a powerful wave seeking a place of safety, a quiet space below the turbulence and churn above me. A somatic memory, diving is a strategy I learned as a child. I remember holding my breath, feeling for a timeless space and gliding forward while waiting to surface for air. It’s where I find myself now.

Experiencing wave after wave, sets of change and disruption, the election of Donald Trump, deep personal losses, and a virus that’s upended all safety and routine. What does it mean for us to be suspended in time, while simultaneously…