By Sophie Nougué

“You are not a drop in the ocean. You are the whole ocean in a drop. ” Djalâl Al-Dîn Rûmi (September 30, 1207 – December 17, 1273), Persian mystical poet.

These last weeks of confinement have offered me a unique opportunity to think about how to feed my need for freedom, relationship, sincerity, authenticity, meaning to give to the present time, to the life to come, not that “d ‘after ”, that of each moment.

I realize how sweet this suspended time is, how much this change of pace is in harmony with the slowness to which I deeply aspire. This free time is ultimately ideal because it is an opportunity to take full care of yourself so that you can take care of others. Being in touch with your inner space is the shortest way to listen to others and really available to welcome them in what they are. At certain times in my life, I have not always been able to do this and I accept that I have not always had the resources to be where the other awaited me. Being aware of this is also the opportunity to celebrate with compassion what I missed!

Knowing how to accept your limits without judgment is a wonderful way to take care of yourself. In the past, this was difficult, if not impossible, for me. Many beliefs engendered limiting strategies that cut me off from my vulnerability. I was unable to express it, to share it. I realize how much this strategy (shell?) Of appearing as a strong, independent woman, capable of …. how much this strategy that I thought was good for nurturing my needs for accomplishment, security, confidence, of respect, was a strategy prejudicial to my freedom and my personal development. It nourished my ego and cut me off from my real needs, essential to my balance and my happiness.

I also thought that to feel free I had to avoid anything that made me feel like I was restricting my freedom. The word freedom played a funny trick on me and de facto put me in “conditional freedom”, that of authorizing me to, where to forbid myself from …

Confinement comforts me on this point: true freedom, that of feeling what vibrates in me and guides me, nothing and no one can take it away from me.

Far from “restricting” my freedom, it gives birth to a vortex of new possibilities to feed my needs for harmony, peace, consistency with my values, love, communion, cooperation, expression, honesty, esteem, sincerity, all these needs related to my authenticity and my life drive.

Creating, imagining, dreaming, deploying your inner freedom feeds needs common to all. Following the flow of your soul and feeling gratitude for what happens to you, gives you the opportunity to renew yourself, to transform yourself. Neuroscience and quantum physics teach us how plastic our brain is and instantly make room for new connections.

So, having the audacity to take care of yourself to access these new possibilities is surely the pledge to celebrate each moment, to welcome this smile that arises in his heart, to feel this warmth that rises in his chest, to to marvel at these flowers that are born overnight, to be this bird that flies high and effortlessly, to radiate joy, and to share this drop of water that unites us in the energy of life.