UNPRECEDENTED
UNCERTAINTY
QUARANTINE
LOCKDOWN
SOCIAL DISTANCING
SELF ISOLATION
STRANGE TIMES
PANDEMIC

COVID-19

Our everyday lives are now infiltrated with these terms.  Our reality overtaken by these rather grim circumstances.  My mind the last couple of weeks has turned in to a never-ending barrage of COVID-related thoughts.  I wake up in the middle of the night, every night, and for a split second think it was a terrible nightmare.  Then the dread and the fear and the sadness washes over me.  Yes, this is really happening.  I go from optimistic to pessimistic to frightened to hopeful all in the span of a day.  Everyday.  As I become better acquainted with the way my mind is adapting to this crisis, I’m becoming more aware of the fact that fear breeds fear and hope breeds hope. 

I’ve been watching a lot of You Tube videos lately of what people are personally experiencing through this crisis, travelers especially.  Since we used to live on the road full-time, I’m very interested in how those that are houseless are navigating these uncharted waters.  And every time I hear…

WE’LL GET THROUGH THIS
WE’RE IN THIS TOGETHER
THIS TOO SHALL PASS
WE’RE STAYING POSITIVE

…I’m filled with hope.  We all have the power to either raise one another up or drag one another down.  We all have the power to ease the pain of others, to provide comfort and compassion to our friends, family and neighbors.

Never could I have imagined a time when being too close to a fellow human could be life-threatening, but that’s the reality we’re in.  Yet, it’s more important than ever that we are there for one another to help each other through what may be the most difficult thing our heads and our hearts have ever had to navigate.  Right now, we’re all searching for a way to cope, knowing that pain and loss is on the hunt and none of us are immune.  I’m coping by staying connected.  Connected to family and friends that are luckily just a phone call or text away.  Connected to humanity through the vast amounts of content that can be found on the web.  Connected to nature with daily walks.  Connected to Mark and Mackenzie (our niece that lives with us) with on-going conversations about our hopes and fears.  And as this situation evolves, I’m learning to limit those connections to only those that offer honesty and hope.

It is within our power to filter our input.  To decide what we want to read and listen to and who we want to interact with.  With our mental health being put to the test right alongside our physical health, taking control of our input is how we will ultimately control the dialogue in our minds.  What the world needs now more than ever is

LOVE
COMPASSION
HONESTY
HUMILITY
SUPPORT

and most of all 

HOPE

With that, I’d like to start journaling this experience here.  Nothing fancy, just an honest account of our life during this time along with how we’re staying hopeful in a time that can be hard to do so.  Let’s work together to make hope the new contagion.