Yesterday was the first time in over 2 months that going out of the house involved a trip that didn’t entail food. The big outing was a doctor visit, but hey, it was kind of nice to drive somewhere other than to pick up groceries. The masks are hard to get used to, frontline workers are heroes on so many levels, being able to breathe and not pass out wearing a mask should now be on the top of the list of super hero skills! Going through this pandemic makes us feel so lucky we could work from home and social distance because during the last few months and probably for months to come, the fear of getting sick has been paralyzing. The need to wear masks everywhere and clean your hands after touching anything outside your home creates a phobia unlike anything a lot of us have had to deal with before. For those of you with an illness or a caretaker of someone with an illness, you are truly forces of nature! Hopefully we will all come out of this with a lot more empathy towards keeping one another well and keeping our germs to ourselves.
“If you're reading this...
Congratulations, you're alive.
If that's not something to smile about,
then I don't know what is.”
-Chad Sugg, Monsters Under Your Head
We have started to think about how those of us with mental health, addiction, physical health, OCD, Anxiety...issues, well it could be said that we were prepared for this moment in history. All the fears and hurdles we have to face and jump over everyday sort of makes a pandemic seem, well, a whole lot less scary. Not that we are immune to the fear, but our world isn’t quite as turned upside down as others. We are used to finding solace in our own company, we are used to making self care a priority, we know to keep track of our medication and order refills way before it runs out. All the panic and overwhelmed rants from other people (they are totally legitimate and we send virtual hugs) don’t really apply to a lot of us, pandemic life, it turns out, isn’t that much different from our regular life.
“The trick is to enjoy life. Don't wish away your days, waiting for better ones ahead.” -Marjorie Pay Hinckley
While our life now may not have changed that much or even if it has changed greatly, make each day your best, don’t save the China you got for your wedding for special days, today is special, use it! Don’t put off baking with your kids, go outside everyday, do an art project even if you are not artistically inclined. Tie dye a shirt and then wear it proudly on your Zoom calls! Plant something, read a great book (or a trashy book-just have fun!), there is too much sorrow, loss and pain in the world, make your corner of the planet brighter for you, not for anyone else, but for YOURSELF! You are worth it!
“There are some years in our lives that we would not want to live again. But even these years will pass away, and the lessons learned will be a future blessing.”-Marjorie Pay Hinckley
In health-SG
