Day 276 of #LiveWell2017

Yesterday was another horrifying news day as the details of the Las Vegas massacre unfolded, along with conflicting reports about Tom Petty‘s fatal heart attack. In the end, it was all bad news – more violence, more premature deaths, more insanity within our nation’s borders. Every time another mass shooting occurs, I shudder and think “What will it take for all this madness to end?”

My first thought – every single time – is this: If everyone would just, at the same moment, turn off all their devices, stop listening to the pundits and social media racket, close their eyes, quiet their minds, and JUST BE STILL, maybe, just maybe we would hear the heartbeat of our humanity, sense the love that connects us, embrace the peacefulness of our collective consciousness, and be a positive, generous, loving part of this grand universe.

Last night, I saw The Head and the Heart in an outdoor concert. As I looked up, secretly scanning the buildings around me for snipers, they began to sing their hit, “Let’s Be Still.” You could hear a pin drop in the amphitheater.  Even as dusk settled on day filled with heart-wrenching news, I realized that the 5000 people gathered there in that instant were all connected by the music and the moment, by the lyrics and the sentiment. It was a glimpse of what could be, of what we all need and long for every day. We can make it happen, if we all take a moment now and then to block out the noise, let the quiet in, let our hearts be grateful for what we have and who we are at this moment, let the goodness in each of us find its way out into the world. We can rise above the madness, the noise, the violence, the issues that separate us. It is a choice. So, today, I thought this would be a good reminder to all of us…

Just for a moment, let’s be still.