Standing is not still; Being is still. Be! An imperative sentence two letters long, Be! is acceptance within each moment—an embracing and rejoicing in the journey.

Being Still is personal and has nothing to do with anyone else. It is a personal search within oneself; it is also a part of the grief that is often labeled depression. Stillness is often a feared place, a solitude and silence where the repressed and shameful fragments of Self are heard; a depressed person doesn’t want to hear and face those fragments. Be Still. Look within yourself and accept all of your feelings. If you are feeling angry, sad, depressed, happy… let yourself feel. Unwanted feelings may be present; accept them, let them wash over you. Own your feelings; they are not good or bad, they simply are. Be still and find that quiet place of solitude within yourself. Listen to the solitude and silence. Be very still.

Standing while Being
If Standing isn’t Still and Being is Still, how can you reconcile these? To Stand still is a stubbornness, a refusal to grow, change and move forward within yourself and accept and cope within your circumstances. Being Still is a quiet within. Find those issues that you are to deal with and let the peace that already exists within you rise up. Quiet your mind from both your internal and external drama. Being Still does not mean sit back and accept abusive or inappropriate behaviour while waiting for change. It is internal, a stillness such as may be found in meditation. It propels you to move forward—it is impossible to Be and Stand Still simultaneously, nor is it possible to Be Still in the absence of Detachment; Being Still is a place of Peace and Calm, even amidst a storm the eye is still.

Standing is not waiting while life continues; life has no stop, only go. Waiting is a refusal to live your life in each moment; it is a focus on the future. You are here, now. The only time that is real and relevant is the present.

Crisis = Danger + Opportunity
You are likely familiar with the danger aspect of the equation, but have you considered opportunity? The realization of the opportunity within a crisis is wholly dependent upon Acceptance. In the circumstances of your spouse’s MLC, denial of the process can extend the crisis, and so long as you continue to deny and resist, you will also remain imprisoned within your crisis and the opportunity will not reveal itself.