So it is the 117th day of the year and about 1/3 of that has been spent in the alternate universe of COVID quarantine. Starting tomorrow we have to wear a mask everywhere we go which feels to me like a dark cloud. But, on the other hand, my local walking paths reopened a couple of days ago and the parks opened up today which feels like progress. So I'm focusing on that.
Somewhere in my life I developed the coping mechanism of following my fear down a path to the worst case scenario that I could imagine...maybe to kind of feel like I was getting out in front of it and not be taken by surprise by anything, and I would figure out how to find my peace even in that worst place. I've been on those paths a bit during "these uncertain times". But today, on this brighter day when the sun is out and I hear kids laughing and someone playing Jimmy Buffet in my neighborhood I feel less "worst case" and more hopeful that this trial will actually, eventually pass.
I look across the room and see the 2020 Vision Board I made at the end of December and I think I want to make some amendments to it. There are some things I've taken for granted that I want to be more intentional about going forward into "New Normal".
- I'd like to continue to move at this slower pace. Every hour doesn't need a box to check.
- I'd like to continue to sit in the yard with the cats and watch butterflies and hummingbirds.
- I will appreciate possibilities, appreciate dreaming of adventures with the possibility to fulfill those dreams.
- I'll be conscious to connect with people, to look in their eyes, meet them with a smile and a word that communicates that we are still in this life #together, not #alonetogether
- I will keep being careful to maintain boundaries around my own peace. Very few people share my same life commandments and some are happy to take a whack at them.
- I will try to be aware of and be respectful of other's fears and step toward them in a way that communicates love and support, not criticism.
- I want to live my faith and hope boldly so that someone who needed a life line wouldn't hesitate to grab on and cry for help and feel safe.
- I will be grateful for Freedom with a greater awareness and deeper compassion for those who don't have it.
Trials are designed to develop us and our character. Looking back at this time may just bring memories of angst and disrupted peace, financial difficulty and loss. I hope we can also see it as a time of personal growth, character development, spiritual deepening and relational clarity. We've all been handed a big "Time Out" and when the time is up we will get to come out and choose how we are going to behave. What kind of character do you want to be?
