Opinion

The time to relax is when you don’t have time for it. Do you feel as though your mind, body, and spirit are at rest these days? I didn’t think so. After all, how can you feel a sense of acceptance when things are so beyond your control? How do you cultivate compassion when others around you are losing what’s left of their minds and acting out? The ‘rona pandemic is not the first plague that has ravaged our lives, sweet friends. Pandemonium comes in many forms. We struggle within ourselves; we clash with our loved ones, or perhaps our very beliefs become irrational, infantile, or even toxic. Heck, we all have irrational fears. I have an irrational fear of wasting a good outfit on a totally insignificant day. But when are we ever simply “at peace”?

Let’s be honest. This generation is better prepared for a zombie apocalypse than an hour without electricity. But here comes that heaviness on your heart again from the latest horrific event in this upside-down world of ours. Sure, we have faced hard times before; but have things ever looked quite this menacing and morose in your lifetime? Daily reports of damaging, devastating events beyond your control. Perhaps your heart breaks a little every day; or maybe you have hardened it and feel almost immune to the latest horrific headline.

You lost control and are offering a reward to anyone who finds it? Boy, we sure could use some clarity right about now. Can you figure what is or isn’t going on in the world? Believe it or not, it may not be possible to fathom, find out, and decode life. But what we can do is live it in the moment. Don’t you miss the age when you thought you would have it all together by the time you were the age you are now? One thing’s for certain: There are no guarantees or assurances in this life.

Another hangover, hopeless morning. We’re still “social distancing,” or should I say: “exiled for the ‘good’ of the realm.” Oh, and don’t they realize that “curfew” is for people who actually leave the house. Enough is enough. How long can you feel stuck in a rut, grumpy from the same drama day in, day out? I feel you. Things are so incredibly off course right now that it is almost a recipe for disaster. We are so lost in the problem, it is nearly impossible to envision the solution. Exasperated, irritated, and sick and tired of it all? That’s your inner GPS sending you a message that it’s time to recalibrate and change course.

What did you accomplish today? Well, the kids are still alive. Excellent. Apparently this year is being written by Stephen King. Are you like 2020% done? Perhaps you constantly fight with your family or friends these days, trying to convince them to be more cautious, or that the CV pandemic is not as serious as the media would have you believe. “The lockdown should end or should never have started,” he shouts. “We need to still socially distance and stay home,” she claps back.

What do you mean it’s Monday? It was just Friday a few hours ago. Feel like you’re sleepwalking, having no idea what day or perhaps even what month it is? How does it make you feel knowing that half of us are now experiencing symptoms of depression? Having no say about your choices or future can surely lead to feelings of powerlessness, and even hopelessness. Sure, the pivot point for all of our suffering may very well be this CV. Twilight Zone, we find ourselves in. But, what to do about it?