Good evening to ALL of you!
A friend of mine and I were chatting the other day discussing the intersection of Fortitude and Gratitude. As some of you know, from my Live stream classes, my anchoring word during COVID has been ‘Fortitude’. I like this word because it sounds, and even looks, like what it means. When I say Fortitude I feel the strength in the word. When I read and write Fortitude I recognize the strength in its meaning through it’s written structure; the tall ‘F’, ‘T’s and ‘D’ combined with softness in the small round ‘o’, ‘r’ and ‘e’ and a request by the ‘u’.to be filled. Fortitude as a written and spoken word reminds me that there is always softness within strength
So my friend and I were discussing this word and its power to help us find endurance as these Shelter in Place days are beginning to feel less like a sprint and more like a marathon. As she and I pulled apart the aspects of fortitude that apply to both sprints and marathons the concept of gratitude inspiring the fortitude came up; the idea of the necessary softness underneath strength. We found ourselves rattling off what we were grateful for and how staying strong through the daily challenges of COVID-19 honors and protects those people and things; the wise elders in our families and community, the planet Earth, our nuclear families and the time sheltering in place has afforded us with them, and the list went on… Since our conversation, I have leaned into this idea, allowing that which I’m grateful for to spur me on through the occasional discomfort found in the endurance needed to ‘Flatten the Curve’ and it has been very helpful. So, ‘Fortitude’, with its soft structure and strong meaning is my word for this pandemic; inspiring gentle resilience.
Love Light Fortitude, sophie