Crazy Times
Image by Marida
What a week it has been since my last blog post. Although many of us have been aware of the Corona Virus (COVID-19) for several months now, the United States’ response to it completely shifted last Wednesday evening. In fact, I sent out an email to my congregants on Wednesday afternoon assuring them that our church would continue to gather together on Sunday mornings for services. Less than 24 hours later, I sent them another email telling them that large gatherings had been banned and I would “see” them in a month—maybe even longer if we don’t curb the spread of this disease.
Of course, our church is trying to remain active in the midst of all this and I’ve been brainstorming up a flurry of ideas on how to support my congregants when I can’t see them. Despite our lack of physical gatherings, I’ll be making phone calls, live-streaming services, sending more emails and updates, etc.
Now. How are all of YOU doing? I have to admit that it took a long while for me to take this disease seriously because I live in southern California, a low risk region (as of now). Maybe those of you who live in the affected areas of Europe or Asia can give me some insight as you’ve been living in this reality for a bit longer. How has it been for you and your communities? How are you living from day to day? Do you see progress? If you respond to this email, your note will go to me directly. I would love to hear.
At the moment, I vacillate between high anxiety and trying to make the most of this semi-quarantine. I see a lot of humor bubbling up on social media about “social distancing” and how some people have been waiting their whole lives to receive permission not to see others. Of course, as an introvert, I probably also would have used this social distancing mandate to my advantage had not my kid’s preschool closed down. So my life went from busy (in my normal pre-pandemic schedule) to a little less busy (after the government banned public gatherings) to a busier than I’ve ever been before (after the schools closed down and the government mandated all of us to “shelter in place.”). It’s one thing to homeschool children but, we can’t even take them to libraries, museums, or meet up for play dates? Now we’re talking torture.
Of course, my son thinks this is the best thing in the world. To stay at home in his pajamas, watch TV, and play with his cars is pure bliss.
To survive this time, my husband and I have created a schedule so we can take turns getting some work done. One of the more challenging parts of this pandemic is that we have no idea when this “sheltering in place” will end. I told my congregants that I hoped to see them on Easter Sunday but according to some scientists, this disease may not even peak until July!
During this season of Lent, a discipline of not gathering with others has been imposed upon all of us. Regardless of whether or not some of us are introverts, humans are pack animals in that we are most happy when we are connected with others. And for a lot of my congregants for whom Sunday morning church is their one weekly opportunity to see and touch others, isolation is more dangerous for their health than any disease.
But many of you who’ve been reading my writing for a while know that I believe we need to learn the art of alchemy to experience continual joy in our lives, especially in the most dire of circumstances. I share about this in my blog post here, in my marriage essay here, and in my workbook, Elevate Your Joy and Purpose here.
So if I ignite my powers as an alchemist, I can already see the base metal turning into gold by recognizing the following gifts within this situation:
We have to slow down.
We get to spend more time with our families. My friend told me that this lockdown has facilitated such good conversations with her husband, reminiscent of their dating years before the chaos of children and careers rushed in.
We realize how deeply connected the entire globe is to one another.
We travel less, hopefully making less impact on our environment by reducing our carbon footprint.
We can get our house in order by doing some organizing, cleaning, etc.
We can reach out to one another in creative ways.
A congregant sent me this moving poem along this exact theme.
Pandemic
What if you thought of it
as the Jews consider the Sabbath—
the most sacred of times?
Cease from travel.
Cease from buying and selling.
Give up, just for now,
on trying to make the world
different than it is.
Sing. Pray. Touch only those
to whom you commit your life.
Center down.
And when your body has become still,
reach out with your heart.
Know that we are connected
in ways that are terrifying and beautiful.
(You could hardly deny it now.)
Know that our lives
are in one another’s hands.
(Surely, that has come clear.)
Do not reach out your hands.
Reach out your heart.
Reach out your words.
Reach out all the tendrils
of compassion that move, invisibly,
where we cannot touch.
Promise this world your love--
for better or for worse,
in sickness and in health,
so long as we all shall live.
-Lynn Ungar 3/11/20