All we know is that this is how it is now.
We listen to the experts, the discussions, and the disagreements. We weigh what we learn, decide who is the most qualified to direct our perspective and then our actions, and keep marching forward.
For many of us, our "Peace of Mind" directly relates to gratification and predictability. We're planners. We take precautions. We shop at BJs and Costco, so we don't run out of…anything. We plan vacations years in advance. We've been a spoiled culture and are now feeling the pain. We cannot have whatever we want when we want it. We are intolerant of discomfort in any form. Instead of the control we crave, we're left with very little, and lots of vulnerability. None of this is my definition of a good time.
We figured out how to work remotely, stay in meaningful contact with loved ones from a distance, sterilize our groceries, and became friendly with the UPS and FEDEX deliverers. Cold March and April turned into hot July. Massachusetts was out in front, leading the nation in low COVID-19 rates. We opened up slowly with an abundance of caution, despite how you feel about that. Other states opened with what looked like "wild abandon." The COVID crisis is now their reality and daily headline.
Many of us, because we couldn't go out, "went in." We thought. We read. We talked about what this was like for us and those we love. We felt the losses, confusion, unease, fear, and maybe even found a silver lining somewhere.
YouTube sensation, Pluto, tells us daily that all of this is hard. Some days, a little hard, some days, brutally hard. She tells us to go easy and give ourselves lots of credit and acknowledges the pain and frustration we're all feeling. Pluto gives us permission to be sad or mad. To outgrow our "button pants," but to try them on once in a while for a reality check.
She reminds us that there is fun to be had. Maybe in teaspoons, where we were used to full cups, but it's still there. She tells us to "bark at cats because we can." Pluto encourages us to feel the feelings, get some help, share the burden, yell, cry, howl, laugh, and celebrate. Her videos are simply a photo of a cute mini schnauzer with moving lips, but it's excellent solid crisis intervention therapy, wrapped up in grey fur.
There are other healthy places we can find solace that might be more "up your address" than Pluto, although she works fine for me. It's a time of hunting, of finding what we need, because it's probably not ALL going to come via FEDEX. When we peel the onion, we have a chance to go deep and do some inventory.
Maybe for you, it's a Netflix series or ten. Gardening. Hiking. Personal challenges. Philosophy. Faith. Self-help. Classic novels. Or for my amazing history obsessed 19-year-old daughter, exploring the lives of Queen Victoria's 42 grandchildren (available on YouTube in case you are curious...it's more interesting than you might initially think).
What's going to happen?
What can we count on?
How do we plan our lives moving forward?
What if things stay this way?
What if the virus comes back?
What will the Fall and Winter bring?
What's going on politically/economically/socially/relationally?
What impact is all of this having, outside and in?
Work. School. College. Job. Childcare. Healthcare. Upcoming surgery. Ailing loved ones. Kids freaking out. Parents arguing. Moods swinging. Substance use spiraling. Mental health tanking. Certainty and predictability...out the window.
Our culture has brought immediate gratification to a new, perhaps unhealthy, level, but the pandemic screeched all of that to a halt, and we have no choice but to slow down. Use this time to consider who you are, what makes you tick, what you value, and how you cope. It might serve you well in the future...whatever that brings.
