Hello my friends. Still sane? I looked back to one of my posts from last April and it was titled, “Spring Time Sanity.” I wrote that entry knowing that winter’s hibernation of down time was coming to a close and soon sports, work, and spring cleaning was going to kick into high gear. Life was going to get crazy for a while. Low and behold, this spring life is crazy and we are clinging to our sanity for completely different reasons.
Last year’s urging was for all of us to remember to take some time to be still and be with each other amidst all the busy-ness of our days. We needed to remember to “just be.” Author, Brene Brown refers to rest and play as being counterculture in our modern time, and says that we view exhaustion and productivity are badges of honor. She has made efforts to remove some of the tasks and activities from her family’s life and has seen the benefits.
Well, here we are, one year later and we are forced to take this hiatus from the rush of life. For many, exhaustion and productivity are no longer at the forefront of our days. In one way, it’s not so much of a blessing. Having no choice in the matter and having limited access to the things and people we love is no bowl of cherries. We are worried about friends and family, especially those who are health care workers and those who provide the necessities of life. There’s no rest for them, they are on the front lines and quite frankly, it’s scary. We are also grieving for those we lost, as more and more, we are all being touched by this.
However, as I mentioned last week, we still see the joy around us. I see people connecting in any way they safely can. I am noticing how we are all taking time with family and getting to do the things together we normally might not be taking the time to do. We are learning to just be. And we have an excuse to do so. No guilt for being still. Just plain old love and connection at its best.
Now don’t get me wrong. I’m still cleaning out for spring time and nutter that I am, I’ve been having a ball doing it. The Vets of America are going to have a huge pickup on my porch when all this is said and done, though who the heck knows when that might be. They’re going to be riding around in their truck with a vat of Clorox, spraying all the donations before picking them up.
But here’s what’s different for me. Instead of focusing on all the things I HAVE TO do while all this is going on, I’m focusing on all the things I GET to do. I switched my “to do” list to an “I did” list. Yes, I know there are things that still need to get done and I jot them down. But instead of focusing on crossing things off the list, I am gleefully putting things on all throughout the day. A walk with the kids, a load of laundry, a game of Blokus…The focus is on all that I did to fill my days with joy and connection, and less attention on the demand for productivity. My lists have been abundant, and they still reflect all the things that need to get done in order to make the household run smoothly.
We will probably never have the chance to engage with our families this closely and in this way again. So even in the thick of it and the worst of it, we are still making the best of it. And hopefully when life returns to normal, there will be yet another “new normal,” and we will all continue to make time for each other. Have fun just being, my friends.
Chaos to Calm 