Without question 2020 has been a difficult year. Here in Victoria, Australia we have been challenged by bushfires and the consequences of Covid 19. And world events have also been in our hearts and our minds.

As I write in September 2020, we are in our second lockdown period and feeling the weight of these restrictions. Most of us have been working from home since March with in-person socialising severely restricted. We have missed haircuts and we look a bit wild and windswept.

Covid 19 has revealed to us our own capacity for adaption but also has highlighted a broad range of inequalities within our society. We are all in this together but we are affected differently, for many this is a difficult and for some it is a dark time.

It has been a year for stopping and reflecting. A mirror has been held up to us and we have a choice about how to respond. I’ve been reflecting on what is needed and how I can contribute to recovery from Covid 19.

I have dedicated much of my career to delivering and then improving mental health services in Australia. I work with people who are, or have been, quite severely impacted by mental health challenges. Along the way I have met some truly resilient people, and many compassionate people.

Working with fellow human beings who are in pain, or are suffering, can be a difficult path to walk. Seeing the pain of others can remind us of our own pain and our own suffering. And working to change systems, that do not meet the needs of those they purport to serve, can feel like a heavy burden to carry. But it can also be a place to lean into our common humanity and to find our purpose and a shared joy.

As 2020 revealed even more suffering and more inequalities I felt overwhelmed. I wondered if now was the time to ‘pull-back’ and leave the work of challenging systems and advocating to others. After time to stop, top up my reserves and reflect, I have decided to take the other path.

In August I commenced the Compassion Institute’s Cultivating Compassion Teacher Training program. This evidence-based program was developed at Stanford University and is now delivered worldwide.  I have become part of a worldwide Community of Practice – there are 55 unique individuals from around the world in my cohort alone.  I believe I am in the ‘Right place, at the right time’ and I’m very grateful for this opportunity.

I am a big picture thinker and I think compassion can, and should, be part of our thinking in 2020 and beyond as we seek to recover and find new ways of engaging with each other.

I am looking forward to 2021.  It may take me some time to get ‘match fit’ but I am in training and when the time comes, I will be bursting with energy and enthusiasm.

I am also working with Mary Freer, which is always a privilege, to develop an online program for Compassion Revolution, November 2020.

If you would like to know more about Cultivating Compassion Training or Compassion Revolution feel free to reach out via email kimjkoop@gmail.com