by Mei
In January, before the coronavirus arrived in the UK, I handed in my notice to one of the best jobs I’ve had in a career that didn’t align with me. At the time, I was the sole person where I lived who was working from home, due to a special transitional agreement with my employer. Then, everything changed. All my housemates began working at home. My whole office became virtual. On the 27th of April, when I went into the office to hand back my work laptop, very few people were there. It was practically empty.
It was like the whole world went into retreat. This made it a good time for me to focus on re-prioritizing and creating a new life for myself—a life that was more aligned with my true nature and that heeded my spiritual calling. The fact that all the pubs, clubs, cinemas, and cafes shut down and events were cancelled helped. No longer could I be tempted to make long commutes to go visit people, places, or attend events.
The pandemic and its limitations also accelerated my internal shift. A few weeks after giving up my job, I also decided to give up my studies. My old career and my pursuit of another life through acupuncture are things I’ve clung to for years. In a space of a few weeks, they are starting to fade away in my memory and in my sense of what is important.
What has replaced them is a daily schedule that sings to my heart and a trust that by following this, all else would ensue. I am giving myself time daily to do four periods of meditation, to practice qi gong and yoga to strengthen the body and move the qi, and to focus on spiritual reflection through a text that I love, the Tao Te Ching. I am also sharing this period of personal retreat with the sangha and my beloved teachers online. Living this way of life feels like a blessing.
In this period of great change also comes great opportunities, and in this period of suffering, there may arise great compassion and strength. My hope is that we can all use this period to align ourselves with our deepest purpose in life.
