Its been far too long since I last wrote. So much has happened in my life and around the globe in light of COVID-19. Our lives have changed. Perhaps forever and never to return to the way things were. Life is a series of ups and downs. That’s the journey.

This morning I was inspired. Since this lockdown or what Arizona’s version of a lockdown looks like, I have been going to the dog park twice a day. I walk about 1 – 2 miles (the inside perimeter of the park) while Buddy enjoys his freedom within the fenced park.

I am trying to get back into my groove and connecting with God, mother earth, and life in general. I stopped journaling a couple of months ago. Not sure why. I think I was just exhausted after journaling almost every day for over a year. I just needed a break. But this morning I was inspired when I heard Common, author of Let Love Have The Last Word, speak on a podcast and he talked of living a life of altruism by expressing love not only towards others but loving ourselves. Part of our healing and journey is to learn how to love and care for ourselves. Nothing earth-shattering, but it made me think.

As I listened, I kept thinking of how our world has changed. The dissent and animosity that exists between political parties are at an all-time high. We have been secluded and essentially not allowed to socialize and come in contact with other human beings. The media is like a savage predator always giving us the worst and we listen not knowing what is true any longer.

And if you add on to this that someone we care for and love may be infected with the virus, or live in a global hot spot like NY State or Italy, then our stress levels start to boil over. All of this impacts how we deal or interact with each other.

We will soon be out of our lockdown phase. Life will start to resume some semblance of normalcy. Perhaps not to the extent we had been accustomed to but then, that may not be a bad thing. So what will change? What will allow us to grow and thrive and be a better person? Become better people? Elevate the level of consciousness of the human race?

The title of this blog is “if you were God”. I believe that no matter what religious upbringing we had or what we currently believe, whether we are part of an organized religious group or we consider ourselves Christian or spiritual, we believe in a Higher Power. A Supreme Being.

The bible teaches that we were created in the image of God. Judaism, Christianity, Islam all assert that we are created in the image of God. Others believe that God lives within us. And maybe that’s saying the same thing. The point is that whether God lives within us, is part of us, or we are created in his image, we are all godlike creatures in our entirety or to some extent (depending on what we believe). We all have that spark at some level innate within us.

If this is true, then every single human being walking this planet is truly a blessed human. The question then becomes, if I treated you as though you were God, how would I act around you? Would I say or do the things I’ve done or want to do that could potentially harm you and are the opposite of what God truly is?

I know in my life I have not always treated others in a way that exemplified and honored the God within. For this I am sorry. There are no excuses. There can never be. All there can be is redemption. Doing what I can every day and minding how I treat others.

How many times have you heard the term Namaste? Have you truly learned and practiced its meaning? The Divine in me bows to the Divine in you. Think of the meaning of the word bow – its an indication of respect and submission. That’s pretty powerful.

So if we treated everyone in our circle in a way that is reflective of the existence of God within that individual, and EVERYONE practiced living this way, the world would change. What an incredible place to live it would be.

Food for thought. Maybe if we lived this way regardless of how others are, we can still make an incredible difference. I know I’m on board.

Namaste.