Covid Connections...Or Lack Thereof
Well here I am writing a blog post of what would normally feature some exciting new sign product, cool 'before & after' project or some other fun topic about the joys of sign-hood. Instead, I will write about some of our universal responses to forced captivity and quarantine.
The variety of responses to this global pandemic run the gamut of emotionality. There is a huge amount of F-E-A-R! We're all reeling from a blind-side attack that has us on the ropes. We didn't know it was coming; we weren't prepared and we're scrambling to make sense of it. We can't turn on a television without being bombarded with Covid 19 information from every source..some of it accurate and some of it not. I personally had hoped that in spite of the seriousness and sadness of it all, that politics would somehow stop rearing it's ugly head, but I am not sure that anything will stop that.
Coping Measures
How Does One Cope With A Crisis Of This Magnitude?
For many, faith is the comforter. For others, it may be exercise. Afterall, that is one of the few freedoms we still have left to some degree. Have you seen the statistics on how many people are exercising? I think it was 70%. Too bad it took a forced quarantine and pandemic to get us off of our couches, but it is positive no less. But there is also the other side to that statistic, those of us who are inhaling way too many covid calories out of boredom. I am told by my jeans that I may fall into this category.
I have seen a huge proliferation of music videos, technologically-composed choirs and virtual performances. I personally love this. To me, seeing people share the one thing that they can share, a God-given talent, to lift others, is special. I appreciate those efforts of people to do whatever they can from wherever they are. We see stories of kind humanity and people sharing food and services. There are offers of free classes, fun webinars and even museums and cultural venues offering free viewings and online tours. Aren't we grateful for these! Truly, we are all in the same boat in our boring isolation. The one source that we typically complain about wasting too much time on (the internet), has now become our lifeline to friends and family.
Will The Pandemic Influence Lasting Change?
The pandemic will permanently change all of us in many ways. One of the most profound changes that I hope for, is that of cultural kindness. I hope that we never forget the value of our relationships and how lost we have felt without physically having them in our lives. It is easy to take these relationships for granted. If you think about it, we have been stripped of everything that we think we love. Our addictions to restaurants, beauty-care, spas, salons & gyms; every kind of food and TOILET PAPER that we have the expectation of buying whenever we need it; shopping; travel, ect., basically ALL of the material things we strive for and continually chase. How much are those material things helping us now? If we are fortunate enough to have them at this precarious time, are they truly serving our emotional needs? I think that one thing that has become crystal clear to me during this anxiety-producing period of my life, is that my friends and family mean more to me than any material thing I have or do not have! At the end of the day, our relationships are what matter most to us. I hope that we don't forget this when we have moved out of crisis and quarantine mode. I hope that we don't go back to life as we knew it before. I hope that this pandemic serves to teach us all that the love of family, friendships and our relationships are at the core of what is most important in this lifetime.
Relationships Matter
While we are living in unprecedented times and most of us had never lived through a pandemic until Covid 19, I am amazed at the amount of global compliance to the pandemic and the active quarantine. Yes, there are outliers who defy the orders for whatever their reasons, but for most of us, we are driven to compliance out of fear of becoming ill or making someone ill that we care about. No one wants to see anyone have to deal with this illness or worse, lose their life to this illness.
We have all, at some level, made a decision(s) about who and what is important to us. We have decided about what advice to listen to and who's advice we choose to follow. In other words, we have given weight to the issues that affect us and how we choose to think about them. It is my hope that at the end of this quarantine and pandemic, we will give that same amount of thought-provoking attention to the often very meaningless issues that divide us. It would be so nice to see people come together in kindness and comradery in tackling our culture's issues all year-round. The key message here is that WE choose how we are going to respond in any situation. And just as this quarantine has really hit home about what is truly important, I hope that those in a position of systemic power will see that this pandemic can serve as a course correction and the opportunity to not continue "business as usual" when all is said and done.
Let's Laugh..It's Better Than Fear
I talked about various coping measures and how we all choose to move through this challenging time. Many of us have chosen humor as our coping mechanism. Comics are performing online for us, we are actively creating memes; melt-down videos, cartoons and sharing Covid jokes. This is personally one of my chosen ways of coping. I would rather laugh than live in fear. Yes, some Covid jokes are corny as heck (especially at my house)..but we need laughter as much as we need Plaquenil. If we have to wear a mask when we go out, why not make it fun! We hear it alot these days, "This too, shall pass". And it will! Think of your most difficult and challenging experience in this lifetime. Perhaps you thought at the time, that you would never live through it..but you did! You may have even come through it, stronger and wiser than before. We will all come through this experience one way or the other. For some, it will be grieving the loss of a loved one or more; for others it may be the loss of a job or a business, but for all of us, no matter how many ways we have been touched by this pandemic, we will survive it! We have an opportunity to decide how we think about the experience. Will we talk about how absolutely horrible it was and see the glass have empty? Or will we identify the blessings of the experience and see the glass half-full or overflowing? We still have control over what we decide. Will we understand that whatever God we worship, has our back and will give us all we need for a fresh start? I hope so.
Our Thoughts, Prayers & Corny Jokes Are With You
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| A Wreath I Made To Lift My Mom & Her Senior Neighbor's Spirits |
No matter which coping methods you are using to move through this period of your life, we hope that you know our thoughts, prayers and corny jokes are with you. Remember that corny jokes are some people's best coping mechanism, while prayer or other ways, may be someone else's. Be understanding of our universally, shared experience and make unforgettable notes and decisions about your realization of what is most important in this lifetime.
We will continue to keep All of you in our thoughts, prayers and well wishes!
