When the Earth Stands Still

By now most of us have undergone a forced internal housekeeping.  With the abundance of time on our hands and the cessation of our daily routines, we are not just forced into isolation, but also, introspection.  

For many, this is “Day 3” of the end of the world as we knew it.  Our morning routines of getting kids out our doors and into the doors of their schools is gone.  Likely gone too, is our morning routine in the office and the craze that ensues there through out the day.  (author’s note…funeral homes are still up and running and funeral directors have noticed little changes to daily routines).

Life in its present form likely leaves us longing for both the insanity and the mundane of our daily routines.  However, with the significant changes to our everyday schedules, it begs the question of how much or how little did everything matter? We torture ourselves each day to accomplish a multitude of tasks, attend meetings, enroll our kids in extra curricular activities…so many things on the “to do” list; many of us are spread so thin.  But now, in the absence of that “to do” list, funny how the world is still turning.  Amazingly, life is going on.  Maybe there is a silver lining to our isolation…it’s time to “trim the fat”.  We might begin to take inventory of what our day used to look like, and see what we can do without?  The world has continued without completing a hundred tasks a day.  Maybe when life returns to normal, it can be a more normal life?

For many, myself included, the absence of routine is a struggle.  Not being stretched thin allows you to remain in tact, which is hard.  Keeping busy is often a coping mechanism or way to avoid reality.  Now we must deal; with ourselves, with what’s troubling us or with what changes we may need to make.  Isolation might remove us from people, but it certainly reacquaints us with ourselves.

So as the earth stands still and we stand idle upon it, use the time constructively.  “Trim the fat” of your daily schedules, think about what’s important going forward, what actually does matter, and spend some time dealing with the thoughts and feelings that beg for your attention.

 

Above all, don’t panic.  Don’t listen to every bad news story.  Stop and think about the amount of cases that go into full recovery.  Those numbers FAR outweigh the fatalities, yet they aren’t highlighted in the news.  Keep this in perspective.  Although these numbers seem alarming, they are far less than viruses and illnesses that have plagued us in the past.  Be smart, be sensible.  Know your personal risks and take all necessary precautions to protect yourself and your family.

 

This too shall pass,

Jen