« How are you? » During the challenging past year, people all around us have been asking us this question again and again. « How are you? » The person asking could be someone close to us, or someone just passing bye.
The one word answer, like Good, Fine, O.K. Challenging, Tough, does not describe a complex life situation. When asked « How are you? » I realized that unless I had a whole hour to talk and explore, I could not honestly describe the multilayered experience we were going through.
The other day on a morning walk, Yumi and I entered a little gallery in our new neighborhood in Washington D.C. « How are you? » someone asked the young man sitting at the desk. « It’s All Good, »he said. I asked him: « Who did you learn this from? » « I learned it as a little boy from my grandfather, who lived in the West Indies, » he answered.
« It’s All Good » is not a description of the facts of life. Rather, it is a direction for the journey of life. « It’s All Good » is a ground of being. It is a condition of the soul. I was stunned. I had been looking for a creative way of answering the question: « How are you? » that would be truthful and constructive. « It’s All Good » struck me as the right answer.
In 1944, my own parents, who were discovered from their hiding place, and put into a labor camp in Vichy, France, also succeeded in escaping to Switzerland. Hadassa found out that her sister and brother-in-law had arrived in Switzerland, and were in refugee camps. She also found out that they had just welcomed into the world a little baby girl. Hadassa was reunited with her family, and brought as a gift a carved wooden tray. She had engraved the name of the little baby girl: « Hedy. »
My mother told me that on the train, when she experienced the terror and the despair of the discovery of the forgotten false papers, she also put her attention on the hidden realm, which was filled with possibility. She understood at a deep level, that there are possibilities in what now looks tragically impossible, that might even bring enormous blessing. She taught me that it is important to keep open the doors to the hidden realm. « How are you? »…. « It’s All Good » keeps the doors open.
Over 2000 years ago, a famous Rabbi by the name of Rabbi Akiva, said as a result of a string of misfortunes: « Gam Zu Le Tova, » which means « Also This is for The Good ». « Gam Zu Le Tova » inspires us to see the unknown blessing, cryptically embedded in the varied experiences of life. I have come to learn that recognizing the hidden gift is not instantaneous. It is a process. It requires landing deeply into the experience. However, just like « It’s All Good », « Gam Zu Le Tova » allows us to keep our compass pointed in the direction of possibility, revelation and discovery.
On this eve of the Jewish holiday of Passover, « It’s All Good » and « Gam Zu Le Tova » are productive directions to hold. Passover is a holiday that celebrates coming out of « Mitsrayim », which literally means coming out of Egypt. « Mitsrayim » is translated symbolically as the « narrow place ». Passover celebrates coming out of the « narrow place » into the vast realm of expansiveness and possibility, where we know that « It’s All Good », and that « Gam Zu Le Tova ».
We wish you a nourishing and joyful holiday season. Whether we celebrate Passover, celebrate Easter, or celebrate the return of the Spring Season, may we keep sharing with each other the open doors to « It’s All Good. » and to « Gam Zu Le Tova. »
With love and gratitude,
Hedy and Yumi
original publication : http://www.hedyyumi.com/2013/03/its-all-good/
