Wow – things have moved at such a rapid pace it’s making my head spin. So far in Vancouver they have shut down all the bars and restaurants, cafes are only to go, most people seem to be working from home. It’s a very challenging and scary time for a lot of people, and without a doubt many are fearing not only for their health, but for their jobs as well. There are no words of comfort that I can offer that will quell that fear. I am in a very fortunate position that I am in a fairly stable job – though we don’t know what it will look like when teachers head back to the classroom, we do know that we will be working full hours and getting paid as such.
In the midst of all of this, the one thing I have been focusing on each day is finding things that make me happy (and in particular ones that are not on the Internet, as too often you then get sucked into the bad news void). My friend sent a video of her puppy ripping apart a tissue box. Someone in my neighbourhood got out the sidewalk chalk and did some beautiful work on the streets. People have put their children’s art up on the windows. The sun has been shining and flowers are beginning to bloom like crazy.
Small things allow us a moment of peace during the storm. It’s easy to overlook them and only focus on doom and gloom, but what a cost to our mental health that can be. Take a deep breath and look out of your window – I bet if you look for longer than a few seconds you’ll notice something that might bring a little smile to your lips. One online thread that caught my attention and made me howl with laughter was the unofficial St. Patrick’s Day parades in Ireland – people went all out while social distancing, and it was an amazing example of ingenuity, good humour, and thoughtfulness. I would highly recommend it to everyone.
This is a time for us to be thoughtful about our own lives and the lives of others. We need to be unselfish and aware that others are going through the same things that we are. As a species we will without a doubt overcome this. How we do it is crucial. Working together will help bond us in a way that some of us have never done (for example, I only just learned my neighbours name as we chatted from our balconies – now I know she is a lovely person to chat with and I will be happy to do so in future) and maybe make some changes to our communities for the better. Selfishly hoarding and turning evil online will only make this process more painful and destroy trust in each other, slowing our recovery and emotionally distancing ourselves at a crucial time.
Find some good news online if you must. Phone a relative or a friend. Draw a shitty picture, or a great one. Do some sudoku, crosswords, word searches, etc. Make your own word search using only dirty words and send it to your friends. Have lots of orgasms. Eat healthy, do activities like jumping jacks and hopscotch. Plant a few herbs and flowers if you are able.
If you want someone to chit chat with, send me a comment. I’m happy to help in any small way that I can.
This too shall pass, and in the meantime find the time to giggle, to laugh, to be happy. We will all be the better for it.
Secondhand Thoughts 