People keep asking me for advice.
I don't know. We've never been here before. I have the simplest of suggestions.
Feel sad, vulnerable, angry, afraid - whatever you need to feel.
Know there are millions feeling that same mix of emotions. You really aren't alone.
I don't know. We've never been here before. I have the simplest of suggestions.
Feel sad, vulnerable, angry, afraid - whatever you need to feel.
Know there are millions feeling that same mix of emotions. You really aren't alone.
Add to the mix a life-giving practice or two - like compassion or gratitude.
Those emotions will help balance out the more negative ones so you can keep going, keep some perspective, make good choices.
Choose to love your neighbor; appreciate simple gifts.
Those emotions will help balance out the more negative ones so you can keep going, keep some perspective, make good choices.
Choose to love your neighbor; appreciate simple gifts.
You aren't trying to "fix" the sad emotions, just create a wider template of feelings to manage each day.
Try to live in the present, not be overwhelmed by either what you miss of the past or what you fear of the future.
To live in the present moment grounds us, provides enough stability to address what must be addressed. Don't try to deal with more than is necessary now.
To live in the present moment grounds us, provides enough stability to address what must be addressed. Don't try to deal with more than is necessary now.
Millions of us are sharing the same fears, the same worries, the same sense of loss of control.
In other words, we are, communally - even tho we're more isolated - feeling profoundly fragile.
That's OK. Because we're human. In the scope of things, we are pretty fragile.
In other words, we are, communally - even tho we're more isolated - feeling profoundly fragile.
That's OK. Because we're human. In the scope of things, we are pretty fragile.
We can be smart and tough and successful and survive all sorts of things. But we're also fragile. Our hearts break, our dreams get dashed, we make foolish choices, we wound each other.
We can embrace the vulnerability that comes from recognizing that fragility, and we can see one another through the eyes of shared vulnerability.
That's empathy. Seeing our own vulnerability reflected in the lives of others.
That's empathy. Seeing our own vulnerability reflected in the lives of others.
And, oddly enough, I think that's what is going to help us in the long run.
When we are on the other side of this, these shared feelings of being fragile and vulnerable will be threads to weave our lives, families, neighborhoods, and nations back together.
When we are on the other side of this, these shared feelings of being fragile and vulnerable will be threads to weave our lives, families, neighborhoods, and nations back together.
So, that's my big advice. Feel what you feel. Take responsibility for what you can, don't try to fix what is beyond your control. Mix in love and gratitude even if that seems hard. Embrace this day. And know you aren't alone.
Be human.
Be human.
