Must live with open hearts, courage, honesty

In a chorus when some singers take a breath on “the” while others breathe on “river” and others on “flows,” the beauty of the sound is sustained.

The river flows smooth and strong when the singers share what might be called co-humming. I have been inviting groups I lead to co-hum for one full and surprisingly long minute. Our beginning sounds and breaths are ragged but then begin to blend and mellow as our confidence in each other unfolds. Self-absorption becomes less important than watching for a good time to breathe for the sake of the whole.

We need to strengthen our co-humming muscles for life’s nonnegotiable moments, mundane or grand, when we want to ride through life’s gray zones with generosity and open hearts. As we walk in the gray zones of these uncertain times we need to co-hum for dear life in hopes that a livable future can still be pulled from the fire.

But just hoping is no longer enough. Now we must keep the focus and sustain the energy necessary to stay awake and live with open hearts, courage and honesty. Human habitation of the earth, our children, our democracy, health care, human rights, careless flirtation with nuclear annihilation — all these and more call us to bring sustained light into the gray zones we’ve been walking in for quite some time.

Thankfully more are waking up and cannot with integrity go back to sleep. It takes a village to stay awake and stick with it. We need to help each other take a breath periodically in order to walk through the gray zones.

With the help of our friends we can flex those co-humming muscles for all the nonnegotiable moments, mundane and grand, that call us to sing strong with generous grace and open hearts.

Carol Rinehart

Florence

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