Last week I promised my next blog would be about external organization. I cannot deny that now, staying home, quarantined for weeks to our dwellings, is the absolute perfect time to do some clearing out. Heck, I’ve seen more people organizing their garages while I’m out for my multitudinous walks than I’ve seen in my neighborhood since I moved here. There’s a lot we could talk about pertaining to clearing out and cleaning up. Well, I just can’t deliver this week. While the mayhem of the world is still going on I feel it quite necessary to to continue my plea for positivity.
Last week I spoke of having compassion for not only yourself, but for the kiddos who are stuck inside with no outside interaction, as we engage in remote learning. Now let’s find the joy! I’ve seen so many amazing things and heard so much positivity amongst my community as I’m sure you have, as well.
Megan started a “scavenger hunt.” Families put different creations in front windows each week such as a smilie face or a shamrock…you get the picture. When out for a neighborhood walk, the kids can take note of who has something displayed. Each “find” counts as an item in the hunt.
Laura and her kids had uplifting, colorful, chalk messages written on the ground for all those who passed by. “Stay healthy,” with rainbows and pictures adorning the message.
Speaking of walking and passing by, I’m seeing neighbors I never even knew I had (and believe me, I know a lot of neighbors) and as we pass each other at our safe social distances, usually on opposite sides of the street, we wish each other well.
Children who are celebrating birthdays while quarantined wake up to balloons tied on their mailboxes or signs posted on lawns from loving neighbors and friends.
My mother and her neighbor have tea out their back windows, daily. My mom feels like it’s the old days of Brooklyn, faces in the window, chatting away. Nostalgia is a wonderful thing.
I have a text group that leaves me guffawing on a regular basis, bringing more joy to my day than I previously had. My son and daughter are engaging with each other in ways they haven’t for years. Luke even taught Karlie how to skateboard and having no other option now, they practice together, enjoying each others company…well, until the bickering starts, but hey, it’s still a win! I’m even enjoying my time with them, “warts” and all.
So let’s find the joy together. Yes, there are burgeoning cases, exhausted healthcare workers, and people and loved ones we are concerned for, amongst other worries. I am not taking this lightly at all. We pray, hold these dear ones in our thoughts, and do whatever we possibly can to help, especially in our own families and communities. But to keep an endless vigil of anxiety and doom will not serve us. What we focus on expands. Let’s focus on joy. Together we can raise the vibrational energy of positivity and love, and believe me, it makes a difference. (My kids would be cringing right now, calling me a hippie.)
So, post an awesome quote or picture on social media. A hilarious joke. Send a letter to a family member. When was the last time you received a handwritten letter via snail mail? I used to love that! (Thanks for the idea, Jenni!) Keep that gratitude journal you always wanted to start and post what you are grateful for. Let’s check in on each other. Let’s do our best to not only get through this, but get through it with as much love as we can muster. After all, one of the definitions of corona is that of a circular light surrounding the sun or moon. Let’s be a different kind of corona than we’re now used to. Let’s be the light.
Chaos to Calm 