Service?

Service to others is the rent you pay for your room here on earth.
Mahammed Ali

This is my little dilemma: I want to help!  I want to give!  I want to offer something to the world in this time of crisis but what do I offer, what can I offer?

Nursing

I am not nursing anymore and maybe this is a time where nursing is needed more than ever. I was never the greatest technical nurse , by any means, nor can I say I was born to be a nurse.  I wasn't .  Though I was smart and had pretty good assessment skills,  I had a lot of  unease in my nursing and constantly feared  that I would do something wrong or hurt someone.  So it was never a comfortable role for me.

But I truly cared and for that reason I had a good bedside manner.  I think my patients "felt" that and that made a difference in their lives regardless of what stage of their so called "illness" they were at. I had a special affinity with the dying and had great reverence for the experience of being able to be there for people when they passed on. I was able to use nursing experiences  to help my own loved ones pass on a little more peacefully. I am so grateful for that.

Nursing, I believe,  offers a selfless way to serve humanity, to contribute to the bigger picture....to give. Though I will always have the greatest respect and admiration for nurses,  I can't call myself a nurse anymore...I had to give up my license and my role when Life came knocking at my door with a whole cartload of other things she wanted me to learn through the textbooks of challenges she offered me.  :)

A Different Service Direction May Be Required

On retrospect, I think she was saying, "Hmmm! I have had other plans for you from the beginning...my dear.  This is what I really want you to do to help humanity.: *&^% $#%^.@!$*".  I, for the life of me,  can't make out what she says at the very end of her spiel.  Her voice warps out like Charlie Brown's teacher's voice. Sigh! But , whatever she is saying, I know she is right.  I will appreciate the years I spent nursing for what they taught me and what they gave others, but I was never a nurse.  :)

So ...what do I do now to help?

Do you wonder what you can do to help the  world, especially during this crisis?  How do we know what that is?

Maybe there are some questions we need to ask ourselves and some steps we need to take before we jump into a helping role:

• Where is my motivation for helping coming from?  Ego" Or spirit?  If you want to help in order to be recognized, to serve the "little me" by creating a stronger identity, or for your own personal gain...it is ego motivating you and any help you offer from this point of view will be limited, draining and possibly ineffective.  If, on the other hand, you have truly reflected, prayed, searched inside yourself and discovered an "inspired calling" than that is Spirit guiding you.  Listen! 
• How healthy am I? Are you physically, mentally , emotionally, financially and spiritually able to help in a certain way.  If you have a weakened immune system or condition that puts you at great risk if you contact the virus...you can't be providing a service in a high risk zone. Take care of your body by staying away! If you are approaching this virus with a "doom and gloom" attitude, don't go on the net and do YouTube videos. If you do not have money ...well you can't give that away.  (My situation...sigh!) Have you connected with the peaceful Self within you?...If you have not done that yet ...the greatest thing you can do to serve humanity is to go there first.  You cannot heal until you are healed!  You cannot pour from an empty cup. You need to put your oxygen mask on first!
• What special skills do I have? Maybe we would benefit by writing a list of our skillsets to determine what we have to offer.  For example , with me:             

1.  I write...okay maybe I can use this blog and other venues to write inspiring or educational material that will assist others.
2. I speak...maybe I could do some inspirational videos ( always have to check in with the second question first),
3. I teach yoga- this is a great time to offer and encourage the practice of yoga and meditation.  I can do more videos and publically display the ones I did for my students.
4. I photograph...maybe people need to be reminded how beautiful the world is.  I can get out by myself and shoot and publicize my pics.
5. I make a pretty good sour dough bread.  This is a perfect time to make a bread that only requires a few items: flour, water, salt and time. I can make bread for others, or pass on my starter, or teach people to make it on line???
6. I still have all that knowledge I gained from nursing....I can use that to teach maybe...to share valuable information.  Or maybe I can help out in a community phone service that answers questions etc
7. I have children, siblings, friends...I can just reach out to, check in with, encourage and help in some way as the person they know me to be

• What do I want to do? We so often fail to realize that what we want to do is often what the universe wants of us.  What fills you with passion and excitement?  What feels right to you?  What comes easy?  Just because no suffering is required for you to give, to help or serve doesn't mean that what you have to give is any less valuable.  In fact, it is probably even more valuable! Find some joy in what you are offering and the world will receive it with joy!

Well that is something to think about, is it not?

All is well