People are stressed, there is no toilet paper to buy anywhere in the world; unless you go to Amazon.com, where you can get an industrial roll for 45 GBP. Grocery delivery slots are booked for at least the next month; and going to the store not only can expose you to large groups, it is not a guarantee that you will get what you need. Hand sanitizer, toilet paper, water, mass shortages, what is next?
But amid all of the chaos brought to us by the Corona Virus, there are also indications that this is a time, as Marianne Williamson wrote so many years ago, to Return to Love.
For what it is worth, these are some thoughts I reflected on this morning:
I believe that it is ok for healthy people to gather in small groups at each others homes, for a meal or connection. As long as we wash our hands, wear face-masks, avoid touching our faces, and maintain social distances, we should be fine. However, the medical professionals are telling us to limit contact, and stay inside; so I must comply with their recommendations.
Hold Zoom social meetings to connect across the world. I can see it now, Zoom meetups for a chess game, or for dinner parties, or for story time. Can you picture reading a book to your mom or a beloved older person, while connected through the internet? Is there something you wished you had taken the time to learn from your parents or grandparents, or beloved elders? If they are alive, now is a great time to connect, to reach out in curiosity, to take in their knowledge. Imagine their surprise, in being asked to contribute in that way.
Also, it is important to use this time for growth, instead of giving in to mindlessness. Go to YouTube, do yoga or other exercise in your house. Learn how to knit, play the piano, raise puppies, paint a picture, or whatever has been tickling your mind over the years. You now have the time to indulge! And the instructions are on YouTube!
Get in touch with your childhood, build something with Legos; do a puzzle; get creative with food. Make dinner more interesting by setting up a picnic in your living room. Play loud music and dance! I am thinking of making a blanket fort, and reading a favorite book inside!
Take a moment and really breathe, feel the sun on your shoulder, how the air kisses your skin. Get in touch with the inner you. You are special, for your spirit chose to be on this Earth at this very moment, in this time of mass upheaval. Take the time to find out who your spirit is. Get inside your head, and then inside your heart, to connect. Meditation can start you on this path.
Take a class on Mindvalley.com. There are many good spiritual teachers on that platform. Or, as I did, join in the giving Project Park bench on the MasteringAlchemy.com site; or better yet, take one of their courses!
Don’t forget to touch the hearts of those around who aren’t lucky, like we are, to have this knowledge and great connections. Offer to shop for the elderly. Call your older relatives on the phone and chat with them. Do it weekly, for they are stuck inside, perhaps for weeks. Set up a card game and play with them over the phone, or through Messenger video chat.
Be kind, thank those that are still working, giving us some sense of normalcy. Be grateful, for this is an awakening, a time for us to return to love. Be gracious, because when people are stressed, they cannot be their best self. Be patient, for things are weird right now. Hold space for the ones who are just learning to figure this out. We are all in this together, we are all here to love.
