Hey friends! Show of hands: who is feeling sad? Or stressed? Or just... weird...?

As the world continues to turn there is a funny mix of feelings that seem to be churning up internally, is this your experience too?

Illustration by: Right Side Studios

For the first week the tightness in my chest made me uneasy until I realized it was from the pushups that I started doing the moment self-isolation was a thing (strange reaction- I know... my knee-jerk reaction to quarantine was to become G.I Jane. WTF???). My second realization was that I was wheezy from chasing kids around for a week- totally out-of-shape; hence the need to work out. And lastly, I realized (on maybe day 3) that I was feeling a hefty dose of chest-gripping grief. Grief for the tremendous amount of loss and sadness that people are grappling with. For those already in poverty, for the added strain on already stressed families and community systems. Not being able to really help and pitch in sends my soul into a spiral of sadness. I'm not really sure where to file that last one yet, it's a work in progress, but I think it helps to say out loud. I'm really sad. 

And if you are too, you're in good company. I think we're all processing layers of feelings that we maybe didn't realize we would or could have. But I'm not so sure it's all bad. An emotional reaction to what's happening around the world and right in our little spheres, is the right reaction. It's rough out there and in order to make it through, our hearts are going to have to be painfully open. Open hearts see needs, carry burdens, and help out neighbours. 

My kids are struggling with sadness too, so this week we continued to focus on positive activities. Last Saturday we, as a family, created a lip-syncing video for my niece's birthday; wanna have a little peekski?


An upside to this the forced isolation thing is that it has really pushed our sense of how to love people creatively. And I'm so into it! My brain is constantly working over ways we can love people from a safe distance, I'm grateful for the learning.

We also scrounged up $3 in dimes and nickles, washed them really well in soapy water, and tossed them onto a large grassy area for the kids to find. Who remembers finding money in the grass as a kid??? Magic. It's also a good homeschooling activity for younger kids who are learning about currency. Find it. Count it. Repeat.       

I spent one afternoon baking Amish Cinnamon Bread (which is a huge lie, it's cake. Fat-bottomed Amish cinnamon cake). This is a good recipe (find it here). Very few ingredients, simple to make, and great taste pay-off. Checks off all of my lazy baking boxes. I made one batch straight up and a second batch with a bunch of peeled and diced apples, both were good.

There is something so deeply nurturing in refined carbs and cinnamon. I'm not saying it's going to fix any problems but it it's definitely the food equivalent of a hug.

And yes, we got outside, it's not all tasty treats and crafty-craftersons around here. Highlights were the plasma car rally around the neighborhood *aside* this was not my weekly highlight, all I saw as I watched my two girls whipping down a hill on wheeled contraptions without breaks or helmets was a very loooong and ill-advised trip to the emerg... so we did it once. I'm not that cool. *end of aside*

I have to say, I do have a massive feeling of gratitude in my heart for the fact that we're heading into Spring and the weather has been temperate. It seems divinely loving that nature is now reminding us daily of new life, the rebirth of creation, even as we experience death and loss. Timely reminder as we head into Easter.

Keep safe friends. What were some ways you made it through last week?

Xo.

C.

Hey there Internet-Nation, it's been awhile! 

Last time I posted, I was writing about local businesses, about shopping secondhand, about frivolous ventures in the retail world; and well, now...

The. World. Has. Gone. Nuts.

Holy hell guys! The Coronavirus Pandemic has become a societal nightmare. A fear-mongering, media-frenzied, Lysol-buying, super mess! Supermarket shelves are bare where there used to be noodles, toilet paper, and cleaning supplies. Large stores once abuzz with latte toting perusers are completely tumbleweed city, only amply stocked with bored sales associates busying themselves dusting and reorganizing inventory. SO WEIRD! 

It's obvious to all of us (well, at least 'us' here in the West where we haven't been hit hard but are preparing for the worst), that: 'It's Coming." Capitol "I," Capitol "C." We as a nation are getting ready for lock-down and decontaminate protocols. Everyone is on high alert trying to find ways to keep their families healthy and fed; but, are we thinking outside the proverbial Kleenex box?

Are we considering the ramifications of hoarding supplies? Withholding time, energy, and resources and filling up emergency rooms every time we sneeze, out of fear? Are we considering the actual cost of the 'every man for himself' attitude that is so clearly evident in the bare shelves of our grocery stores???

Original Artwork by Right Side Studios - rightsidestudios.com

There will be huge groups of our community in need of life-support. There will be people who:

And the list goes on! It's all quickly becoming a global reality. 

So what can be done???

The smallest of those circles is your extended family and your immediate neighbours. Who can you come along side and bring a meal, offer to drive (if need be), hand over one of your extra Lysol wipes containers or packages of toilet paper? Guys, SHARE.

In our communities, we need to be donating extra supplies to food banks. Those who are going be financially hit by missing work will need extra assistance and if we're all hoarding extra pantry supplies and basic necessities of life, there won't be enough community donations to support the influx of needs. 

Also, DONATE (for real, donate)! One of the first things to go in global crisis is financial support to non-profits. Sometimes because we just don't have the extra cash, but mostly because we're afraid of what's coming and our human tendency is to pull back and reserve funds. But we just can't. If you are financially well off, comfortable, or even just "OK," consider being radically generous to the church you attend, the community services you're aware of, or the broader global initiatives that provide relief. Those who have more of the financial pie should (*she said in a very loving tone*) try and carry some of the load that will be created by those who are unable to give for very real reasons. Our churches and community non-profits help the most vulnerable people in our society, it's imperative those services remain strong.  

The story of the Titanic has remained so alive in our collective cultural consciousness because of the dual narrative of extreme selfishness mashed up against the stories of extreme heroism and kindness. We have on our hands a new story being formed, a new history being laid out; where are we all going to fall in the history books?

Who's in your lifeboat???

Xo

C.