Be soft with yourself in hard times

Our defenses have been rendered powerless in these circumstances, but we are not useless. We are used to action to solve a problem. Let us contemplate more often.

Nothing superficial stands the tests of these times. Be as authentic as possible. We are in this together, alone, to examine the core beliefs we each adhere to.

We are in unfamiliar territory, so look to our families. Mortality is the greatest of equalizers. We are being reminded of our inevitable end, and life is worth living.

We are in growing pains. Be kind to ourselves. Isolated in body, but never in spirit.

Look for the small pleasures we had been missing. Look for affirmations that reinforce the things in our lives that have been, and are, working.

Be soft with ourselves in the midst of hard truths. Don’t let fear and grief take everything. Give it space, but not to every corner of our lives.

Show up for discomfort with more compassion than we’ve ever known. Show up for uncertainty with all the humor we can muster. Exchange status for sincerity, rugged individualism for interconnectedness and corporate capitalism for communal care.

All of us, at our cores, have the wisdom needed to meet this situation and feel our way toward its solutions.

Use our anxieties to be creative. This is an opportunity! Let’s take it!

Sheila WheelerDolores