Life in Limbo

So, how are you doing? No really, how are you doing?

In this blog entry, I promise I will avoid using the words “uncertain times,” “unprecedented,” or “the new normal,” etc. While it’s true that we’re all experiencing this challenge together. Unless you are part of the “essential worker” team, your version of togetherness is being hunkered down with your family.

What started out as a strange adventure, has become the new way of living, loving, learning, and doing business. While navigating the situation can be stressful, there are silver linings that can be found inside this big, gray cloud we call life in 2020.

Let’s look on the bright side:

We’re mastering habits we should have practiced all along. Yup, handwashing often is a good thing, as is coughing into your elbow and avoiding the workplace when you don’t feel well.

Individuals of all ages are embracing technology. I’ve personally added three apps to help me stay in touch with my loved ones—and I’m not alone. Zoom happy hours, Facetime visits and Marco Polo video chats are on the rise and provide much-needed virtual visits with family and friends.

Those of you who are home-schooling likely have a greater appreciation for your children’s teachers. Creating a schedule, orchestrating lesson plans, and being ready with an answer are challenges that we normally leave up to the professionals. Turns out teaching is a hero-level profession, right?

People are taking their need for fun outside. Because gyms and organized sports activities are suspended, we are out walking, running, and playing in the sunshine and trying our hand at gardening—six-feet apart of course.

Families are preparing meals together and eating together as well. Yes, Grub Hub, Door Dash, and restaurant apps that offer pick-up and carry-out are hopping, but for some, the financial impact of being out of work dictates a budget that includes cooking up a storm. The best part is letting the kiddos in on the prep and clean up.

Art is really therapeutic, so taking part in creative projects is on the rise too. Art is a great way for children and adults to express themselves in a time when thoughts and words may be difficult to articulate. Every project is an opportunity to bolster self-esteem—pick up a brush and go for it.

Being trapped inside with too much stuff has inspired the Marie Condo in many of us. (If you don’t know who Marie Condo is, she’s an organizational guru who encourages people to toss the things that cause clutter, and save only the things that bring us joy) Houses are being deep cleaned from top to bottom and families are becoming more organized as a result.

Crack a book and crack a smile. You not only have more time to read for yourself, but you can also read more often to your children. The popularity of podcasts is proof that we all love to hear a story, learn about history, or leap into a fantasy.

We’ve been gifted with a very rare opportunity to reset our lives. We can look at things that need to change and embrace the fact that we have time to work on them. We can reclaim interests and hobbies we enjoy, and we can let go of bad habits. We can reprioritize and commit to what we truly value and then move ahead with inspiration.

These are just a few good things that are taking place in quarantine. Even with all the positivity in each of these pandemic effects, remember that it’s perfectly normal to feel frustrated, sad, scared, stressed, angry or even hopeless. There are parts of our lives that are being altered, and perhaps forever changed—so it comes as no surprise that you may need to grieve or even cry a little.

Please be kind to yourself—you’re doing the best you can, and you’re not alone. Stay in touch with your loved ones and remember that reaching out for help or reassurance is not only okay but necessary to stay focused on caring for your family today and planning for the future.