I'm Not Ready for A Silver Lining Yet...
I’m not ready for silver linings yet.
But I am willing to explore how this new – it’s not a new normal, yet, but I am willing to take a look at how this new and evolving world might have some things to say.
Here are some of the things I’m learning.
1. Different things matter
Two of my favorite questions right now: What matters right now that didn’t matter three weeks ago? What doesn’t?
Community matters right now. Family matters. Rushing doesn’t. Relevance matters: how are we engaging with this pandemic, rather than hiding from it? Fun and goofy and online cocktail parties matter. Creativity matters. Sharing movie and tv recommendations matters. All that time spent racing around, sitting in traffic, worrying about being late: how could that possibly have been important?
2. Just because the world went crazy doesn’t mean some normal (and bad) stuff doesn’t still happen.
Last weekend, just to shake things up a little, I got food poisoning. It was the first of several times last week that I feared (yes, paranoia is part of this) I was going down with illness: lying on the bathroom floor, vomiting and shaking. But it turns out that I just ate a bite of fish that apparently didn’t find its way into the freezer soon enough. And what was there when I woke up the next day, without a sore throat or cough or fever, was the realization of how much life is completely different – and, actually, the same all at once. You might need a plumber. You might have allergies. Mundane things still exist. Don’t eat bad fish.
3. People are wondering, might they be able to change their relationship with time?
I am finding that time feels different. I am hearing that without commuting, in some cases, unfortunately, without a full plate of (or any) work, no excursions, no gym time, A LOT of time with family and rambunctious children and pets, that time feels like it is moving at a different speed than it once did. Is it time to think about time differently? Maybe with less believing in its scarcity?
4. What helps you stay above your “line” is important
Below my line lies anxiety, despair, isolation. It’s not a great place to hang out. So I’m trying to pay attention to what sends me there (too much news!), and what pops me up again, into a space of acceptance and more patience and breath. People I’m talking to report: video calls, exercise, art projects all help. What helps you?