Making it through the rest of 2020

Wow. It has felt like a lifetime since I last wrote.

A lot has happened… Mainly, a pandemic descended upon the entire world. Many other things have happened, too, including the Black Lives Matter movement and a complete deterioration of the political landscape in the United States. For most people, life as we know it has completely changed. It’s been a lot for people to handle.

I am particularly worried about the upcoming months. The pandemic rages on, and it is worsening by the day with flu season upon us. The tumultuous presidential election is just days away. Daylight Savings Time ends in just a few weeks, and here in New England, we will lose precious daylight to long, cold, dark winter nights. The holidays (which can be stressful times of year in the best of circumstances) will feel so different with precautions like social distancing and no indoor gatherings. Many people are already feeling shaken, unsettled, isolated, anxious, and depressed, and in the next few weeks, fear, stress, and all sorts of negativity could climax for our country and the world.

I am a big believer in brainstorming solutions when you acknowledge a problem. I’ve said this before in my career: “Don’t just tell me what’s broken; tell me how we’re going to fix it.” I’ve been thinking about “solutions” when it comes to the state of our world. Obviously, individuals might feel helpless right now. Problems are so global, it’s overwhelming. However, I do think that we can each take steps to improve our own day-to-day experiences. If we can make our days a little brighter, our moods a little more optimistic, then we can be kinder to one another, more tolerant, and more willing to listen and learn. If we are calm, we can think more clearly. Maybe we can’t change it all, but we can change a little… and “the journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” (Lao Tzu)

Over the next few weeks, I’m going to share some of the steps I am taking to improve the world around me, even if it just means buying a new houseplant to lift my spirits. There are loads of ways that we can take care of ourselves, to build our energy to take care of one another, to stay motivated… and I hope we can inspire one another.