“I am ready to come out of the woods and to help shine a light on what’s already happening around kitchen tables.”
—Hillary Clinton
Those words got me thinking about taking time away from the business and the busyness of modern life to go “into the woods”—either literally or metaphorically—after a loss, be it the loss of a presidential election, a job, a spouse, or some other life-altering event.
Why are so many of us uncomfortable when we see someone step off the treadmill of daily life? Is it because we’d be uncomfortable or too scared to take a break ourselves? Is it because we can’t handle loss ourselves? Is it because we don’t know how to grieve?
Life throws all of us curveballs, and it can take time and reflection to figure out how to move forward afterward. In fact, some of the most interesting conversations I’ve ever had around my kitchen table have been with people who have, for one reason or another, stepped off the predictable path of life to look inward before moving outward. Some were forced off the path they were on. Others responded to a feeling that their lives just weren’t working the way they should, so they jumped off themselves. They got off the path and headed off into the woods.
And the fact is, pretty much everyone I’ve ever spoken to after they “came out of the woods” came out stronger on the inside and more open on the outside.
That made me think about a powerful conversation I had with my father when he was deep in the woods with Alzheimer’s. He didn’t know my name or his own. He wasn’t even talking much anymore. I was sitting with him at the table, trying to engage him about something that was clearly uninteresting to him, when he looked me dead in the eye and said, “You know, you have to go internal if you want to go eternal.”
We both got quiet and stared at each other, and I knew that I had just been given some profound advice. In fact, my father said some of the most remarkable things to me while he was living with Alzheimer’s.
“Going internal”—pausing, reflecting, meditating—allows us to bring sanity into our daily lives. It makes us better people, better professionals, and better leaders. It’s better for our brains and our bodies. It’s better for our self-respect. It’s better for the creative spirit that lives inside all of us.
I watched my own father struggle after he lost an election, as did others in my family. It takes a long time to make sense of such a personal loss. But history is rich with stories of people—from Thoreau to Mandela to Gandhi to Dorothy Day to Pope Francis—who went away and came back with a story to share.
So after life pitches you that killer curveball, walk into the woods. Then come back out and share your story.
Dear God, when I feel confused and uncertain about the direction I should take or how I should deal with a situation or person, help me to find wise counsel. Please help me listen for your wisdom, and lead me to those through whom you speak, who can wisely discern what is right for me. Amen.