Remember to Smile
This is a challenging time. It's like stepping into a parallel universe, a sci-fi novel, or the Twilight Zone. What we don't want is for the difficulties to rob us of our simple joys. It's always better to look at what you do have, rather than what you don't. To remember to smile so we don't forget that there's a bigger picture. I heard a priest say in a talk recently that 99% of the universe God created is spiritual, meaning there is so much more supernatural than material aspects of creation, and God is present in so many ways that we can't even fathom it. We need reminders like that when we are deprived of spiritual benefits in these times of suppressions of Mass.
Something that I think helps when nothing is how it should be is to keep your life and schedule as normal as possible. Maybe you are working from home when you haven't before or all the places you would normally visit are closed, but you can still keep a routine, or modify your usual routine. Grab onto something that's normal, like walking your dog, reading your favorite book, or drinking your go-to coffee or tea. The little things remind us that "just because everything's changing, doesn't mean it hasn't been this way before," to quote the song "The Call." What we are facing may not have been exactly the same in history (and certainly seems unprecedented), but there are similarities and people made it through.
We don't want to look back on this time later and only see panic, disease, and restrictions. We want to remember birthday's and sunshine and conversations . . . in short, things that make you smile--we want to remember the smiles through the trials. This is not to say that it will all be rosy (most of it is not), but in dark days we need to focus on something that lifts us up, not what drags us down . . . because that's easy to feel (and get stuck in) in crisis moments.
Above all, these times shows you the importance of being able to connect with people. To be separated from congregating in public makes you realize what social creatures we are. So keep up your connections as best you can and especially your connection with God Who is present always.
Something that I think helps when nothing is how it should be is to keep your life and schedule as normal as possible. Maybe you are working from home when you haven't before or all the places you would normally visit are closed, but you can still keep a routine, or modify your usual routine. Grab onto something that's normal, like walking your dog, reading your favorite book, or drinking your go-to coffee or tea. The little things remind us that "just because everything's changing, doesn't mean it hasn't been this way before," to quote the song "The Call." What we are facing may not have been exactly the same in history (and certainly seems unprecedented), but there are similarities and people made it through.
We don't want to look back on this time later and only see panic, disease, and restrictions. We want to remember birthday's and sunshine and conversations . . . in short, things that make you smile--we want to remember the smiles through the trials. This is not to say that it will all be rosy (most of it is not), but in dark days we need to focus on something that lifts us up, not what drags us down . . . because that's easy to feel (and get stuck in) in crisis moments.
Above all, these times shows you the importance of being able to connect with people. To be separated from congregating in public makes you realize what social creatures we are. So keep up your connections as best you can and especially your connection with God Who is present always.