Things are more than tense...
they're pandemic tense.
Everything is cancelled.
Life is one big instance of holding your breath;
waiting on something to happen
but not being sure quite what might happen.
I'd like to offer something
anything
that would provide relief from reality.
Numbing reality is a choice a lot of people
make in a normal day-during this time
of unprecedented anxiety, it's not surprising that
many are choosing to check out or use unhealthy
coping mechanisms.
Sometimes though, reality is the cure.
I suspect we will find unexpected ways
that this season changed us for the better.
It won't be universally good and I'm not implying
that there should be a pollyanna type energy here.
This is a terrible situation where many have lost their
lives, their health, their jobs and safety.
I'm more trying to remind myself that humans
are sometimes (often?)
at our best when we experience hard things.
It takes challenges for us to learn to be different
or to appreciate what is, instead of what we wish were.
What I can say so far about this season is that
it has highlighted for me all the areas where I
can reside in gratitude.
I have a job that I can work remotely
and still earn a wage, have health insurance, make progress.
I have a calling that allows me to continue
with my life's work even when I can't interact directly.
My core family is a safe space-both mentally and physically.
Our house is lovely and safe and filled with love.
We are right beside a public green way
and someone (Bloomin) planned our yard
in such a way that birds and flowers are everywhere.
We're actually having a nice little time being
sequestered off from the world.
It's like a stay-cation with a little more structure.
In spite of all that gratitude,
there is a serious sense of foreboding.
I've lost hours deep diving on statistics and prediction models.
Read the deconstructions of how COVID-19 presented
in China, Singapore, Hong Kong, and Italy.
Tried to understand the science (as much as we know)
so that I can apply it here.
I've been doing this for weeks, maybe months.
It felt clear to anyone who's watched a contagion movie
in the past 20 years that COVID-19 was coming eventually.
I distanced myself socially before it was pushed for
because it feels like the kindest, most loving act.
And because I'm positive that people don't wash their
hands nearly as much as they claim to.
Since COVID-19 has reached our shores,
I've found myself mentally cataloging our food
stores and having weird anxiety moments about what will
happen if we run out of fresh vegetables or
nutella or avocado.
Yes...these are first world problems.
But they are an aisle my mind insists on walking down
and each time I walk down them,
I'm signaling my own anxiety to myself.
Are we ok?
Will we be ok?
The answer is yes but the timeline will remain uncertain.
So what can we do in times like this?
How can we get outside of the terrifying confines of our
minds, even for just a little bit?
Here are some suggestions:
Face Time a Friend
Yes, face time.
If you can't do that, call the old fashioned way.
Share your burdens with an actual human
and let them share theirs with you.
Work through your current challenges-together.
I bet you'll feel better even if nothing gets solved.
I'm having 'lunch' with a bestie today.
I've also got scheduled check-ins with my extended family
and friends so that I can hear their voices
and know how they're really feeling.
Connection is the cure for so much.
Limit Data
If you're like me, it can be easy to fall into the trap of
refreshing all the sites to find out the latest count or closure.
I would like to suggest that you only do this once or twice a day
during scheduled times.
Some animals just need to be caged
and this constant need to see the latest is one of them.
Read a book, watch a movie, play a game.
The news will be there when you want it
and make sure you're the boss of when it shows up.
Help Someone Else
You might be surprised how easy it is to help someone else right now
or how much you have to give.
Many organizations are taking food and cash donations
to support friends who won't be able to make ends meet.
Places that are on lock down could use notes or cards
to brighten their day.
Call your local nursing home or hospital and
ask what they need most.
Then make it happen.
Check in on social media networks or virtually
with people you haven't heard from in a while.
Take an action to remind yourself that you aren't helpless.
Find 'New Normal' Rituals
Create a new normal.
Get dressed, eat meals, move your body.
You probably can't do this in exactly the same way as you normally
would do it but having the rhythm and structure is soothing.
Resist the temptation to wallow without limits.
You are not on vacation or stuck in a formless void.
Mindfulness and presence are big gifts
you give yourself and you
don't need the permission of the coronavirus
to continue living.
You just need to be creative about how you continue to
have sovereignty over your life.
Incorporate something that connects you to
the Creator or Higher Power.
Prayer, meditation, yoga, breathing exercises.
Get outside.
Spring is happening
and that has been especially soothing to me.
The birds and the bees don't give a damn about pandemic.
The cherry trees are in just on the cusp of doing their
most glorious dance and the redbuds are about 2 days behind.
If you live in a city with no access to nature, find a webcam at a park
or watch online gardening videos.
Schedule a pause.
Every day.
These are strange times friend.
What can you do today to keep living in them?
Lots.
We need you to show up
even when it's different and uncomfortable.
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