I wanted to pass on something that has been encouraging to me with all that is going on with COVID-19. I don’t want to downplay the very real grief that so many are experiencing with the loss of their loved ones, but to share a different, hopefully more encouraging perspective to help you through this heightened time of concern.
I’m sure you’ve noticed that people are responding in vastly different ways to this virus – some are panicked, some worried, some fearful, some think the government is over-reacting, and so on.
The reason for the greatly varying responses is that this virus is a circumstance and like all circumstances, it has no automatic power to cause us to feel anything.
>>> Our thoughts about the virus, like with any circumstance, are what are causing our feelings.
And that’s great news because we can choose what we’re thinking, including what we’re thinking about the virus. We all have the free will to decide how we want to view it.
We can watch and read the news all day long and fill our minds with the panic that the media is serving up throughout the day.
Or we can challenge our brains to come up with HOW social distancing and sheltering at home could be a blessing… HOW this virus could work together for our good.
>>> Now more than ever we need to be vigilant to manage our thoughts – manage our brain – so we don’t spiral into panic and worry.
So I want to pass on a different perspective today – I love these thoughts from a principal in Port Jefferson, Long Island, New York, about how this all could be for our good…
“And, what if…”
If we subscribe to the philosophy that life is always working out for us, that there is an Intelligence far greater than humans at work…
That all is interconnected.
What if… the virus is here to help us?
To reset. To remember.
What is truly important.
Reconnecting with family and community.
Reducing travel so that the environment, the skies, the air, our lungs all get a break.
Parts of China are seeing blue sky and clouds for the first time in forever with the factories being shut down.
Working from home rather than commuting to work (less pollution, more personal time).
Reconnecting with family as there is more time at home.
An invitation to turn inwards — a deep meditation — rather than the usual extroverted going out to self-soothe.
To reconnect with self — “what is really important to me?”
A reset economically.
The working poor. The lack of healthcare access for over 30 million in the US. The need for paid sick leave.
How hard does one need to work to be able to live, to have a life outside of work?
And, washing our hands — how did that become a “new” thing that we needed to remember? But, yes, we did.
The presence of Grace for all.
There is a shift underway in our society — what if it is one that is favorable for us?
What if this virus is an ally in our evolution?
In our remembrance of what it means to be connected, humane, living a simpler life, to be less impactful/ more kind to our environment.
An offering from my heart this morning. Offered as another perspective. Another way of relating to this virus, this unfolding, this evolution.
It was time for a change, we all knew that.
And, change has arrived.
What if…
Blessings to you and your families,

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