Come Healing

Those who know me know that I am a big fan of Leonard Cohen, RIP. I became a fan in the 5th grade. Many of his songs read like poetry, and I still find his lyrics inspirational decades later. One song in particular comes to mind after the election. “Come Healing” is about devastation, loss, healing, and love. It teaches us about healing of the body and spirit.

“O troubled dust concealing
An undivided love
The Heart beneath is teaching
To the broken Heart above”

            ~ Leonard Cohen. Come Healing, Old Ideas 2012.

A friend asked me how I was doing yesterday, and I answered “all is good.” She almost bit my head off. She went off on a five-minute rant about the Trump election and how “everything is terrible and all is lost.” The result s of the presidential elections are still very fresh. For many, the pain is still raw. But I have to choose hope over fear. I have to believe that there is more light than darkness, that tolerance, equality and humanity will prevail.

Cohen experienced a devastating betrayal finding out his manager of 17 years stole millions of dollars from his accounts. He was then further harassed and threatened by her. She was sentenced to 18 months in jail and was ordered to pay him back. He found a way to dig deep, heal and create music in the aftermath. Healing starts when we use our pain, frustration, fear and anger as an opportunity to become the best version of ourselves. Pain is a reminder to get real and use our powers, strengths, and gifts to build a better future.

As I support clients through life changes, when the pain comes, it’s often accompanied with a wishful hope that “things would never change.” Given the choice, would you truly make that choice? Would you want to live in a parallel universe where things would never change? Change, hardships, challenges and pain are part of the human experience. I’m a firm believer in the yin and yang of life. We can only appreciate happiness if we’ve experienced heartache. Good things can turn into bad things just as bad things can lead to great things. Failures and success are opposite sides of the same coin. Life is a journey filled with hardships and opportunities. Experiencing the whole gamut of the human experience and emotions is the only way to find true meaning, purpose, and contentment. Only when we strive can we truly achieve!

So let there come healing. Let us come together and create the path to peace.