Happy Brunch Sunday from Florida! Raise your mimosas and let's clink a cheers to a bit of connection between work, notices and ads in your inbox. Written with a London accent in my head. Of course, reading the emails with an accent is completely voluntary.
Cheers! to a fat minute away from what is happening in the world, in our neighborhoods and in the shrunken spaces we find ourselves. Hopefully we've all gotten the memo to be six feet clear of each other.
I have such gratitude for technology that allows our families and friends to communicate. In 1997, I prepped for our move to Germany with our baby Dallin, by opening my first email account. It was with Yahoo, which now makes me laugh. Today, my extended family is hopping on the screen for a family gathering. For 25 years, we have been preparing to BE TOGETHER while remaining in a room alone. How fantastic.
We are experiencing a great CHANGE. We can remove all the adjectives, panicky or positive, and boil it down into a smaller pill to swallow. The adjectives make it bigger and more uncomfortable. Let's just narrow it down. Besides shelter, a little food and a flushing toilet, what do we actually need? Hopefully, we'll all have those things going forward--though there were far too many who did not have them last month before this began.
My body has been trying to breathe lately. I was tested this week for the virus--due to lung congestion, asthma, sore throat and a slight fever on and off. The results come in a few days, but it won't change anything. I'll still be in my house with my family, disinfecting common areas daily, washing hands. I have steroid inhalers that I suck on often and I still walk the dogs, but my body misses the longer walks. If you can be six feet from people and walk outside, go.
I'm also super happy about all the museums and educational things being offered for free online. I signed up for the most popular course at Yale, The Science of Well-Being. Though it is tempting to watch Netflix all day and night, my mind needs a little exercise too. It's incredibly helpful to stay in the frontal brain and not panic in the back. I've taken to writing down my drama and tossing the slips in the bin.
Today's Deep Breath: (Here's a practical juju nugget. May or may not be helpful.)
When you are feeling nervous, stop and ask yourself, Why? It is going to be a focus on You. ACCEPT the situation. SHIFT your focus to someone else. Think about all of us. Helping others can be a sweeping, dramatic gesture, but at times eye contact, even from a screen...listening. Empathy. Staying home. APPRECIATE each other. Life can get in the way of connecting. Well, not anymore. Virtual hugs, everybody.
Until next time,
Tami Lowe