I am sitting with gratefulness and contentment today and after a long couple of years it feels wonderful. I nearly didn’t post that thought, because I know so many are still struggling and I wanted to acknowledge that and send virtual hugs.
I also wanted to give a shout out to our old friend doubt, because it seems to be an ever present whisper in our lives. The one thing that seems most true is that if you think you are sure about everything, you are going to be disappointed more often than not.
Nothing in this world is for sure, not even the things we declare to be true for sure, wax and wane too. Nuance and context is everything.
For Melbourne folk where I live, and certainly this is also a global phenomenon for those in and out of lockdowns, there is still a lot to navigate with this lifting of restrictions. I just want to say, hold on, hang in, sit tight (whichever expression you prefer) – you got this – it might not feel like it right now, but you do.
In whatever you do, count every small victory (no matter how small or seemingly tiny be comparison), but count them. And visualise the pummeling of the pain and the difficulty while you do (we can hold both victory and pain in our lives simultaneously).
I know the news feed is doom filled and sometimes it feels like there isn’t much to feel hopeful about. But I also know, I focus on the projects and things I do that are eyes on the prize projects – the prize being a more engaged, more compassionate, more understanding world.
My methods are quirky and often misunderstood, but that’s the intention, because that is a generative space to be. While change is a constant, how it comes about is rarely clear cut, it’s messy and complicated too.
Doubt isn’t a bad thing. Doubt is a space for growth. And finally a nerdy quote, about learning to be comfortable with doubt.
“In addition, we construct and stay within contentious and contested spaces; spaces of doubt, tensions and negotiating multiple identities. We stay here because we recognize the generative potential of these spaces.”
Duckles, J. M., Moses, G., & Moses, R. (2020). Community-based Participatory Research and Constructivist Grounded Theory: Aligning Transformative Research with Local Ways of Being and Knowing. In The SAGE Handbook of Current Developments in Grounded Theory (pp. 630–648).
Jacci Pillar 