“This is the best thing that could have happened to me,” she whispered, as if to sneak the truth in through the back door.
My friend understood that revealing her relief about the current pandemic restrictions might be met with hostility. Thus the need to whisper words that are too controversial to utter aloud.
Suffering is socially acceptable at times like these. Tales of loss and devastation are broadcast to the masses. Attention and sympathy abound for those who are withering.
For those who experience something other than melancholy, silence is the safest option lest they risk being accused of insensitivity or labeled as privileged.
My friend is neither tone-deaf nor unaffected. She, like many, has lost her income and is hunkering down with her young son. Her husband works on the front line. She has reasons to worry. But she chooses to admit that her sacrifices are a fair exchange for unforeseen benefits.
She has less money but more time. Fewer activities but more cuddles with her son. And magically, the pain in her body has waned in the absence of a physically stressful job.
Before the COVID-19 pandemic slammed its fist down on the world, we were Busy. Mindless. Careless. We lived life based on a litany of responsibilities and desires with hardly a thought about the effects of our choices. Now we are reduced to focusing on basic needs while weighing them against risk. Should I risk exposure to the virus for a loaf of bread?
There isn’t a person on earth who hasn’t had to adjust. And no one, not even the experts can predict how this story ends. This is good news. Because ‘not knowing’ is where creativity and growth are born.
This is rich soil we’re standing on. There is gold beneath our feet, waiting to be mined. We need not look any further than inside of ourselves to discover the gems that belong to us alone.
Those things you don’t miss from pre-pandemic days are a clue to where your life was leaking, informing you of where you gave away your precious resources.
The people and practices you pine for beg you to examine their place in your life. Do you need them or want them and why? Are you willing to be surprised by the answer?
A platform for self-discovery has been delivered to your door courtesy of Social Isolation. Resist the urge to turn away. Entertain it in bits until you dare to look it square in the eyes and ask, “What message do you have for me?”
There is no rush. No obligation. Only an invitation. If you choose to seek yourself you will likely encounter a demon or two along the way. In time you will see that Fear creates holograms, not actual beasts.
Those who live through this, and especially those who thrive through it, will influence the future. This is the way of adversity, spinning its magic in disguise. Pain is not for naught.
You need only bear witness. Don’t pay more than you have to for clarity. Blame, worry, anger….are dark indulgences that will lead you astray.
During this extraordinary and astonishing call to presence, may we do our best to remain open to possibility, to respond thoughtfully, and to be kind to others and ourselves.
May we avoid the temptation to judge and criticize, opting instead to direct our energy toward understanding and compassion.
In short, may we be the sort of people that we can be proud of when all is resolved.
And perhaps, be able to proclaim in un-hushed voice, the full breadth of discoveries we’ve encountered in this unfamiliar time.
Chaos & Clarity 