When Times get tough…
My life right now
If someone had told me that by March of 2020 the entire world would be struck by a pandemic and most people would be in quarantine, many would die, and the world would come to a shut down, I would have laughed. It sounds like a summary of a futuristic movie about the end of the world.
Yet, here we are: March27th, 2020 and words like flattening the curve, quarantine, pandemic, Corona (CoVid19) and social distancing, only to name a few, will be words that will be in our memory for a long time and part of our history from now on.
This, the infection of a whole population by a small virus, is real - yet for me so surreal it seems like a dream most of the time, a bad one of course.
I am sure, you all go through thoughts and emotions day by day when it comes to this topic.
I was plagued by the worry that we won’t have enough food, the stores might not be able to restock. The fear was worse than that of getting sick to me ( I am sure it has to do with my childhood memories living in communist Romania and standing in line for a limited food supply). I knew, if we would only stay at home, keep contact outside to a minimum and take care of our health, immune system and bodies, we should be fine - most likely.
Other days I felt calm, almost relieved to have nowhere to go, no appointments, it just felt so so good to just be, no pressure…
Knowing we are all home, safe and together made me happy and grateful.
The lazy days of our first week turned into a more structured routine once schools figured out online schooling for the kids and we all got accustomed to being home most of the time.
We are all taking on our new normal, our to do lists, our school work, our sports routines, healthy cooking, groceries, checking in on family and friends all over the world is a daily ritual of mine, now more than ever. We hang out at night, go for walks as long as we can at 9pm when the streets are empty, I knit, we watch a movie before bedtime and I love it.
Yet Stress, it’s there and ever so present. The uncertainty of what the future will hold for us, but especially for our kids makes me uneasy and anxious. The fact that my 19 year old was not able to hug his girlfriend on her 18th birthday, or that my 15 year old is not going to be able to take his finals at school these days or play his music piece that he worked on with a friend for weeks to play in their school, makes me sad. Our kids have a lot on their plates right now and I admire how well my kids are doing despite all the hurdles that are out there for them right now. They are missing out on things, social life, education, experiences...
And yet, despite all my angst and fears, at night, when I go to bed, I am relieved and grateful more than ever. I am calmer than I have been in years and I am not sure why.
It’s the small things that make me happy these days and I am grateful now for so many things I have taken for granted before. Things we all take for granted like food, warm water, shelter, soap, health, our families being together, slowing down. It makes me sleep like a baby these days.
It's not the money, it’s not the clothing, the influencer on Instagram have almost no influence on me right now (unless they advertise a DIY for hand sanitizer maybe) . There’s nothing I need to buy, except food, no one I need to look good for, except for myself (its important to keep that up), no one I need to please, no place I need to be. It’s just the basics now… our small world inside our home. Us!
Yesterday, a few ladies and I baked for a nursing home. To put a smile on the faces of the elderly and their care takers. I want to do more like this, so I emailed the senior home around the corner if they were interested in us bringing them a few cookies. We talked about sewing masks for nursing homes since there are not enough provided. My, how the topics have changed. I surely never dreamed of talking to my girlfriend, while social distancing outside, her holding my pound cake, about sewing protective masks. It's a thing on Pinterest now.
Crises like these do bring people together in funny ways. We learn to reconnect, help each other, smile more, be thankful for the small things in life.
We are all in this together and there is no rich or poor, race or gender that makes us different. We can all get sick, so we all need to stick it out together, live by the rules that are important right now to keep this all at bay and to avoid overcrowding in hospitals.
I also feel that now is the time to reset who we want to be out there once we are back in business, back in normal life.
Can we keep a slower pace once we are back to normal, can we be more mindful, knowing what we know about life and its fragility, once we enter the world full force again? While times are stressful, I am sure most of us have some extra time at home in their home offices to reflect on life, their families, us as a human beings, our roles in society and the business world. What is important to you, what are your values? How do we go on from here?
Nature is showing us the finger right now!
How can we stay mindful now and once the world turns on the busy button again, how can we cooperate and thrive together in business and as human beings, how can we elevate each other without falling back into the hamster wheel that so many of us hate and that makes us sick and unhappy? The world will get so busy and competitive again, I am sure of it. The Influencers, busy parents, business people, the hustle and bustle of daily life it will all start again, - and it's ok because its part of life.
But I also think, that if we are aware of our circumstances right now, if we are mindful about our lives, lessons and practices now and in the future, we can become a better human version - we just need to stay aware.
Looking into the future
I have thought long and hard about this topic, the way a small virus can change the outlook of our world, our economy, life in general. I have weighed the positive and the negative and believe that there is lots that can be learned from this sad, yet impactful event on our earth. Nature, the Universe or the virus - whatever... is giving us something to think about, time to reflect… what are we going to do with it? How will this change us, our consciousness and awareness about life, nature, the people on this planet -this planet, our Earth.
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