Has Your World Turned Upside Down?

By Our Friend and Guest Editor Marjorie Turner Hollman  

Has your world turned upside down? Maybe not today. Perhaps it was a long time ago. Regardless of timing, finding yourself looking at the world as if you are standing on your head is great when you are doing yoga. It’s not nearly so fun when you are minding your own business and simply trying to make your way through each day.

My Liturgy of Easy Walks: Reclaiming Hope in a World Turned Upside Down is a series of meditations in which I invite you to join me for quiet Easy Walks. Bake some banana bread with me, smile at the antics of little ones, witness the wonders of unexpected healing, and discover light in dark places.

When my own life turned upside down, writing about simple and less simple events offered an outlet for navigating the unrelenting waves of uncertainty that washed over me. I had time, plenty of time, to think about what might happen next. Would healing come? What would that look like? Was returning to the life I knew possible? Here’s something I wrote in that time of uncertainty:

“Perhaps we need to search for a different perspective on what wholeness is. Altering our expectations, understanding, and acceptance of what constitutes healing can be in and of itself an important step in creating a new life, and discovering ways of making peace with whatever place we find ourselves in.”

Discovering new ways to live and ultimately to thrive took much longer than I hoped. While seeking to right my capsized life, I wrote short essays that offered simple (not simplistic) observations of the world around me. In the process of writing I began to see my life and surroundings with new eyes:

“There is a difference between ‘swimming’ and ‘paddling about.’ The latter is something that small, and not so small, children can do in the shallows of calm beaches or pools. The former requires letting go of the security of touching the bottom of the pool or the sand beneath one’s feet and pushing off, trusting the water to support you.”

Learning to be gentle with myself has been a difficult challenge:

“Anxiety about an undertaking does not imply a lack of desire; sometimes the feared activity is what we most need. Reluctance can be a signpost, a clue that there may be something important beyond the fear. Being offered a firm and kind hand for a season is just what some of us need. A dash of imagination doesn’t hurt, either.”

For those of us who have found our lives turned upside down and have wondered what will come next, I invite you to join my club. Here are the details:

“Responsible Worrier Club” membership requires: Deep caring, intent listening, respect of personal privacy, and a determination to do what is needful if it is possible. To speak to someone who is able to help if possible, to promise to pray, even when there seems no clear solution. To trust God to care as much as we do (well, maybe God can care more …) as we rejoice in the gifts we are given. And when we are called to “worry responsibly” again, we will have the strength and the will to do so with a grateful heart. This is a club that is self-selected. If we had to decide who could and could not join, it would just be another thing to worry about.”

For those of us whose lives have been turned upside down, I say, “You are not alone.” We may, in fact, be in the majority. You’d think we would notice those folks whose lives have also been disrupted, turned upside down. But don’t be fooled: appearances can be quite deceiving.

You can find Marjorie’s newest book here

Marjorie Turner Hollman is a freelance writer and editor who loves the outdoors, and is the author of the Easy Walks guide book series. Her latest book, My Liturgy of Easy Walks: Reclaiming Hope in a World Turned Upside Down, is a memoir, with meditations on learning to live with a changed life. A native Floridian, Marjorie came north for college and snow! She has appeared on Boston’s WCVB Channel 5 TV news magazine show Chronicle, WBZ Channel 4, the Boston Globe, local radio and cable TV shows, and been published in local, regional, and national publications. www.marjorieturner.com