On Action vs. Reflection

What´s the best way to invest our energy toward change?

I wrote in last week´s post about my move to Amsterdam and how smoothly things have been going.

Today marks three weeks since we arrived, and this morning, we received our temporary residency cards. Two years from now, we can renew them, and at five years, we can choose to pursue permanent residency.

But these days, I am not thinking about permanency in anything. I am just grateful to live here in The Netherlands near my family members. I am appreciating all of it every day.

Another task this week: choosing an official name for my Dutch company (part of my visa requirement). There are limitations (what´s available, how I can describe my work to fit the business codes) and suggestions (what´s considered advantageous) to keep in mind.

I am going with Frost Creative Adaptation. (They suggest that using your name makes you more trustworthy. And creative adaptation is the core of what I offer.) I probably won´t use the name much other than on LinkedIn and my invoices, but it feels good to have an entity that is here and clear.

Being here and clear is my full focus right now.

Be present. Bask in it. Repeat.

And when I begin working with clients again in a few days, I aim to continue this same soft and joyful openness and appreciation.

Every hour is an opportunity for renewal. This is true for all of us, but it´s amplified when starting fresh somewhere new.

I have choices to make about what I will buy. Every item I bring in is a chance to appreciate this new home as it comes into being and takes on its own energy.

I have a new routine to create. Every day, I can choose what I read, what I watch, what I listen to, what I think about, and where I go. This week, I have enjoyed walking in the park, where I am surrounded by blooming sweet cicely - a woodland herb I once bought at a nursery in Oregon after being enchanted by its lacy blossoms and fern-like foliage.

Every day is a chance to walk a new route, or to notice in a different way what I passed by yesterday.

Every item we bring home from the grocery store invites a sense of discovery. Whether it´s a local cheese or a new-to-us brand of peanut butter, it´s a chance to taste without expectations.

Despite our nearly nonexistent Dutch, we try to guess what the labels mean rather than using a translation app - or sometimes just get what looks interesting without paying attention to the label. My husband brought home what appeared to be pieces of rabbit-shaped white chocolate for our Easter Monday brunch. It turned out to be garlic butter. (Delicious.)

Post-brunch snuggle with my grandson.

So, I am engaged in both action and reflection daily - and I´m guessing you are, too.

That´s why it´s so strange to me that in the collapse and adaptation-related newsletters I read, there is a lot of talk about whether we should prioritize action or reflection right now.

There are those who insist that the big change we need is INNER change. They believe that there can be no systems change unless we as individuals take time for reflection to deepen our awareness and develop a greater understanding of who we are as humans. It is this, they say, that will lead to our ability to live and work together in ways that support this beautiful planet we are so lucky to call home.

On the other side are those who believe that this is a critical time for action. They insist that it is only our coming together in solidarity that will lead to any substantial change. Choosing to resist and raise our voices together, they say, is our only chance to change how our world is being shaped.

And the reason this discussion is happening this week is because many are questioning the net result of the rallies held in cities around the world last Saturday. There is the sense that these crowds - as robust and rousing as they were - are already forgotten. They fear that nothing changed despite millions of people around the world marching together in the streets, holding signs and chanting.

But it´s not that NOTHING changed.

Coming together is its own force for good, regardless of whether it results in any changes in policy. For many, it is this standing shoulder to shoulder, raising our voices, and seeing that WE ARE NOT ALONE that gives us the strength to continue to work each day in our own ways to make life better for each other.

But if you prefer to meditate, go on a hike, draw, or write in a journal rather than attend a rally? Know that your choice to go IN rather than OUT is a way to build your inner solidarity.

Keeping ourselves centered and focused, connected to the Earth and our own creativity, is a different form of resistance, one that may be silent but just as stirring.

Our solitude can help us heal from the daily onslaught of news that leaks through and takes hold despite our best efforts to limit it. Our rituals - making art, building, growing, communing with Nature - are reflective actions that balance and gird us for the task of caring for ourselves and supporting or leading others.

So, let´s stay open to all the ways we can respond to all that is happening. Reaching out to a neighbor may be just as impactful (if not more so) than writing to your representative.

And we can do both.

PROMPT:

This week, notice how you are choosing to respond when feeling tugged by the current of uncertainty.

Are you more likely to seek out time with others…or engage in solitary activities that soothe and support you?

Do you prefer to get loud…or go quiet? How would it feel to go the other way?

How might you blend reflection and action in ways that feel meaningful, safe, and effective?

How can you add joy to your chosen activities - whether solitary or with others?

We are being called upon to reflect and to act. We get to experiment with what feels most fulfilling…and most fun.

Because it´s often the FUN that has the power to uplift, energize, and connect us!

This is a core part of my work in helping clients get to the place where they can engage in visible, community-focused, and contagious acts of joy right where they are.

Thank you for being here. I appreciate you.

See you next Friday.

Maya xo

P.S. Coming up with an act of joy is the fun and easy part!

The getting-to-joy part? That´s the challenge.

If you´re struggling to find your way there, I can help.

Feel free to email me at maya@mayafrost.com or visit my website for info.