We are coming up on Earth Day on Wednesday, 4/22. Nature provides me with a grounding Safe Place during this pandemic. Looking around from my self- assigned quarantine I see Mother Earth unfolding the beauty of Spring like nothing has happened. Birds are singing, flowers are breaking out from Winter's grasp, and buds are forming on the trees. My dog, Rosie, is in a denial stage also. She is acting as though nothing has changed over the last few months.
I want to say that during this unprecedented time there are many people suffering and dying. I do not want to make light of that fact. I also don't want to worry about things that I cannot control. As I sit here listening to the R.E.M. song, "It's the End of the World as We Know It", and read the news online, it is easy to fall into that dark chasm of despair. It is the most difficult time in my 63 years of living to hold healing energy for the world, knowing the whole world is suffering.
A key line in the before mentioned song, (and also part of its title in parenthesizes) are the words, "And I Feel Fine." For the majority of us, that line is a key point. The world is completely upside down and yet most of us are healthy. We can do more for others by staying healthy and positive. To be that inspiration to others we need to start by doing a self-check-in. If you "Feel Fine", then reach out and check on others closest to you. I hope they are healthy too. This can provide a source for grounding, positivity, and healing, for you and for them.
I am blessed to have a strong tribe starting with my wife and children, siblings, relatives, and friends that support me. My strongest symbols of strength continue to be my parents. I am blessed to still have them alive at 91 and 89 years old. Living in the Detroit area, they are handling this all with composure and faith. They are modeling to me how to cope with the confines of "sheltering in place" and dealing with the ominous grey cloud this pandemic has hanging over us.
The key is to create a strong base of family and friends that love and support you. Because when change or danger rears its ugly head, we always have a safe place to go. Especially during times like these when good news is hard to find and the end is not clearly in sight.
"Sheltering In" with my wife, is not a sentence or challenge - it is a blessing. I too often forget how special she is when I get busy, focused on my future goals and dreams. It should be obvious, since she is in each and every one of them. When one of us is down because of something we have read or experienced, the other is there to pick them up. With that loving base, I am more comfortable to reach outside of my tribe and help others. When it looks like "the end of the world", my tribe reminds me that "I feel fine!"
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