So for many of us we experienced a great loss the other day with the passing of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg or RBG as she was known too many. My heart hurt for her immediately because I knew she spent a lifetime with cancer in her life. First she lost her Mother due to cancer, then her husband battled it, and then she dealt with it. I am sure she had a lot of physical and emotional pain and when I heard of her loss my first response was that I hope she was able to pass away with a sense of ease and grace, and later I heard she did pass with her family and at home.
Social media has been covering some of her amazing moments of interviews in her life and I feel so honored to have lived during a small part of her span as well. I didn't learn about her till later in my life but as I studied her more I really admired her inspiration to trust herself and stay steady with her views especially when challenged by the differences others had. It may be easy to summarize her story but I am sure there were so many moments where she doubted herself; it could have been so easy for her back in the 50's, newly married and with a baby, to put her desire to go to law school aside. Additionally she was a great example of someone who could disagree ("I dissent") and express her thoughts but also remain friends with those she disagreed with.
She was known for her ability to explain that the courts weren't there to change law or adjust to the environment of the day, but instead allow the laws to shift or change to the culture of the times; one is more temporary than the other. In other words we don't have to hold onto the past but allow ourself to evolve.
This reminds me of how we get caught in the messages around us and sometimes we are guilty of holding onto the way things were; not observing that the current day and how we have already changed or shifted. We may be afraid to admit this or let ourselves believe. Further more instead of working on our own issues we reflect it out onto others with blame and judgement. RBG spoke about advice from her mother-in-law who said that the secret to a good marriage is to sometimes be deaf. RBG said this was advice she used also with her current colleagues. More than avoiding though, she really used this as a way to pause and listen before responding. She was known for talking slowly and processing each and every thought.
I am not saying this is easy and I will tell you truthful that listening is still something I work on improving; it is not my strength. But I see my weakness and make it my goal to hold space for people to share more. I really hold much of what RBG did in trusting herself to develop her own path in life and know that each of us will be challenged with the paths we want to take and the ones we need to take. It is a difficult thing to maneuver but if we have a supportive group of family and friends we may find the path and enjoy the journey getting there.
I hope you will consider joining me for yoga or meditation live and online where we can be a supportive group for each other. We often talk and share while practicing which supports each other during this difficult and challenging time. Some have shared having to return to work in person, going out to events or making changes of where they are living. It can help to share and say the words out loud.
If I don't see you though online with me just know that you are in my thoughts. I mean this; I often think about many who are reading my newsletter and hope that you are taking actions that are helpful to building more resilience.
"Have a good day for no reason!"
---Paige