by Sarah Buffie, Hive Facilitator
photo contribution from the Contemplative Photography Class
I feel not great, when people ask me how I’m doing with all of this….
my first, genuine thought is FLIPPING GREAT!!
But, I’ll hold my enthusiasm. I don’t lie. I don’t fudge, but I downplay what this forced pause has meant for me.
As a consultant, facilitator, entrepreneur, running on all cylinders, go go go, more more more has been the trajectory. Although I had intellectually pondered “slowing down” or having more balance in my work, it was clear that a full schedule until 2021 was not in line with those thoughts.
And bam- Covid-19.
Trainings- cancelled, post-poned, reoriented to online, or just taken off the books indefinitely. Work stopped. Life paused. Staying at home became the law of the land.
I was so relieved. I sat. I paused. I’ve been in my garden, I’ve been in my sweatpants, I have welcomed time and space... to think, to read, to create- all outside of the pressures to “be on” for and with others.
As I have been reflecting, I am holding this blessing in my personal life with the burden that has come to so many. I am acutely aware that this experience I am having is not a shared reality for all others. So many people and families are suffering right now and the notion of a positive future out of this is hard to grasp.
Yet, it reminds me how and why I got to this work in the first place. I do not have a history of complex childhood trauma- this fact of life for me has enabled me to hold space for others who have had such experiences. In my highest hopes, the groundedness I feel and have been cultivating, especially in these times, will be used to pour into other people and be a support as we all walk this journey together.
Oftentimes, people define the word “resilience” as “the ability to bounce back”. I heard recently that the irony of this is, without that something to bounce back from, we’re not always aware of how resilient we all are. How are you bouncing back? What is the hope you bring into this moment? Where your cup is full, how might you fill others? Lingering questions I share, not necessarily to be answered, but to be pondered in this time of ultimate pause as we all strive to co-create the new normal.
Sarah Buffie MSW, LSW, founding director of Soul Bird Consulting, believes that nothing has the power to heal like supportive relationships. Specializing in trauma responsive care, she helps organizations and individual citizens disrupt current models of thinking by building empathy and understanding around the effects of trauma. Sarah has worked in community organizing- specifically, Asset Based Community Development, for over a decade and has a deep passion for her work. Her focus is to spread awareness about how trauma affects the brain and body, and teach effective approaches for developing resilience within the people organizations strive to serve, and the people closest to the work, caregivers and direct providers. The supportive relationships being built through intentional community building at The Hive aligns perfectly with Sarah’s core understanding of trauma recovery. Connecting with others in a safe/brave space is a gift that Sarah is eager to invite people into.