So just finished watching the news and well that amps up anxiety and fear. Worried that this virus is just waiting around the corner to attack our lives. If the virus doesn’t get us, then the financial impact, the worry and stress. There have been those who have been furloughed, those that are working and taking the risk of exposure, there are those that were jobless prior to this virus or homeless and they are at such a great risk. There are some in abusive relationships that have nowhere to shelter in a safe place. Kids who are neglected or abused whose home is anywhere but a safe place. Or they are hungry because there isn’t enough food because there isn’t enough money. There are people that are fearful to get their groceries or are unable to get their groceries. People with crippling anxiety or depression, OCD and just overwhelmed. There are expectant moms and moms who are bringing home a newborn without extra help for fear of exposure. Everywhere we turn there is fear and feeling overwhelmed. But there has to be blessings in this mess.
I know you think I have gone off my rocker. And I probably have. I am laying here trying to process all the information out there and trying to find rays of sunshine during these days of cloudy outlooks and doom and gloom. Don’t get me wrong, I have so many emotions right now. The need to stay healthy so I can still care for the patients I come in contact with, that I don’t bring anything home to my kids, that my asthma or Sjogrens doesn’t flare and decrease my immunity. Then I think it is a day at a time and I am blessed to have a home that is my sanctuary and my health for today. There was a time in our lives our home was a battlefield and anything but a safe sanctuary so the blessing of a home means even more. I think of those that are furloughed and how it feels to some as a personal attack when it hasn’t been at all. Each of these businesses out there, every kind, is trying to figure out how to stay solvent to keep the doors open when the curve flattens out. The fear of financial issues and the hassel of unemployment. The blessing in the storm is the ability to rest, spend time with their family and see the earth put on it’s spring show of coming back to life after a winter’s nap. My heart hurts for all of those in bad home situations, for the abuse and the hunger. And sometimes it isn’t just hunger for food. It is hunger for peace, for safety, for love. Please know you are not alone. Please reach out, know that even though the world has shut down, there are still resources to help you. Don’t be afraid to reach out as I know for a fact there are many people out there that want to help.
The good in people is rising to the top. Food deliveries for kids out of schools, restaurants trying to make carry out affordable. Therapists doing telemed to keep helping our mental health. Things feels so unsure but there are blessings in this mess. Just stop and think how much quieter our world sounds! There is less traffic, less polution. People are staying home and spending time with the people in their house. It hurts our hearts to be away from those we love due to social distancing. But there is a blessing in keeping them well during this mess. We are watching silly TV, family meals, actually slowing down and resting. The birds are singing a little bit louder, the rabbits scurrying around a bit more, our pets are more clingy and want to be loved on a bit more and sure are getting more walks than before. Yes, it is stir crazy for those that are having to stay home all the time. It is hard to see the blessings when you see the same 4 walls. BUT, there is a blessing to have those walls to look at, there is internet and TV, computers and face time. There is microwaves and air fryers and food to eat.
I guess what I am trying to say is maybe we, myself included, need to focus on a blessing everyday. We are inundated with statistics and warnings, grim reports and fear around every corner. We have to take care of our mental health as well as the physical health. We need to give ourselves permission to see the blessings in the storm. I am saying this so much for myself. I get overwhelmed and I worry. This unseen virus has me worried for everyone I love, worried it will effect me keeping a roof over our heads and food to eat. Worried how this moment in time will effect our future moments. I am getting off that gerbil wheel for today. Do you want to join me? I am going to make a concentrated effort to find a blessing in everyday. No matter how awful the day, how scary the media paints a picture, no matter that every encounter with someone outside my house puts both parties at risk, there is a blessing in this mess. My blessing today is to be able to have a day of rest at home. My blessing is both of my kids, my family and those that mean the most to me are healthy and safe. I have a blessing of going to work tomorrow and helping to do what I can. There is blessings in this mess. How about you? I know being home and having to stay there feels overwhelming. Do something that breaks up the monotony. Those that are having to be substitute teachers for their kids, you feel more stressed than blessed. But you have a moment in time with your kids you will never have again. Take that break and make lunch a picnic, teach them a life skill, soak up those sweet little arms around your neck as they grow up way too fast.
None of this is easy and I am not downplaying the stress and worry we all have. I just want to take a minute to not think about the negativity and fear that chase us through our days and honestly this is just as much for me as it is you. Maybe each day we find a blessing in the storm. That we take a moment to laugh. That we just take a moment to catch our breath behind the mask. That we don’t miss an opportunity to tell someone what they mean to us and how thankful we are for them. That we take a moment to forgive ourselves and to be kind to ourselves. We all are just trying to get through each day. Our support circle feels smaller due to social distancing and we need to reach out in other ways to keep each other lifted up and encouraged. There is a blessing in this mess and let’s take the time to find that blessing. Stay well and stay safe and know that you are a blessing to someone!
