Hello Friends, this post was written very early in the Covid-19 pandemic. Since then, its implications and our understanding of them, have only grown. All that to say, there is so much this post doesn’t address (the loss of jobs, the stress on hospitals, etc.). But as many of us continue to practice social distancing, the spirit of this piece still stands.

Just when we thought the world couldn’t get any crazier, a flu-like virus is shutting down entire countries and giving almost 300 million students an unexpected, scary spring break. Companies are asking employees to work from home, or at minimum, not to travel. And if the News reports on the coronavirus were less alarming, perhaps we’d all be able to look at this the way we would a bad snow storm: 

This will pass, let’s make some hot cocoa.

Only the truth is, we don’t know. We don’t know if all the quarantines, bottles of Purell, elbow bumps, and hand washing tutorials will get us through. But what has made me the most curious is

What are people (who aren’t sick) going to do with all this time at home?

As someone who works from home, I know the dangers of cabin fever all too well. As many of us have fallen pray to the occasional TV binge, deep down we all know there aren’t enough shows on Netflix to make anyone want to sit on their couch for fourteen days straight. And being from New England, I know the beauty of being snowed in for two or three days. But I also know the joy of freedom when the roads are finally clear and you can do something as exciting as go to the grocery store.

What will we do if more and more of us are quarantined?

Or if like in Italy, movie theaters, museums, and restaurants are closed down?

When we get tired of watching TV or scrolling our socials, I hope we get creative. Not to downplay the severity of this virus, or the fear we’re all experiencing at some level, but I hope we find ways to bring good out of this unexpected crisis. Perhaps we’ll spend time with family or read that book we’ve been eyeing. Most of all, 

I hope we slow down.

For so many of us, our lives have become very busy. The problem with this, is that when our calendars get filled, when there is no margin or space for our minds to wander or our souls to breathe, we suffer. Our immune systems weaken. Not only that, but our ability to maintain perspective wanes. Our capacity to think new ideas or be creative, dissipates.

When there is no margin or space for our minds to wander or our souls to breathe, we suffer.

So though Covid-19 is thoroughly unwanted, is it possible we can make the most of it? That something good like rest, the space to think new thoughts, and the opportunity to create, can come out of being homebound? Rather than anxiously wait and wonder if our turn will come, can we take all the CDC warnings as permission to take care of ourselves and our loved ones? 

Can we detach from our everyday lives enough to slow down? 

Can we trust that in time, healing will come? 

Often, before we create, we need to clear some space for ourselves—not just physically, but mentally too. Sign up for my email list, and get my Five Ways to Declutter Your Mind resource. In it I share five ways to cut through the noise in your life, to find more peace and clarity. 

Photo by Tim Mossholder on Unsplash