Is this the new normal?!?!

Social distancing. Line ups at grocery stores. Work and school closures. Symptoms. Face masks. Task forces. Press Briefings. Flattening the curve. Self isolation. Death counts. Crisis.

These are the words, messages and information that bombards us. 24/7. Day after day after long day. One day flows into the next, with no semblance of what a normal week used to look and feel like. What day of the week is it? It’s “Blursday”!

Can I make the suggestion that we take this weekend …it’s a long weekend too…remember when we got excited by that…and try to focus less on the bad and more on the good. I’m not trying to sound trite. I get it. We are all unsettled. We are all unnerved. We are all frightened. And that’s ok. But we can’t let our fear over shadow our strength and resolve.

When I was in the thick of things, battling the fear and pain of breast cancer I had to make a point of blocking the “bad comments and misinformation” and focus on the good. Bad comments? Oh yes, there were lots. Things like ,”How did you get this? Will your hair fall out? Will you lose both breasts? What about chemo? What if the cancer spreads? Are you going to die? Are you afraid?” Yes I was fu#king afraid!!!! I still am, but I work very hard to not let that fear consume me. It’s not easy. But they say , whoever “they” is, that anything worthwhile is worth fighting for.

So let’s take a minute and focus on the “good” that has come from this shut down. How many of us are now talking to our family and friends more via phone, Facetime, Zoom, WhatsApp…..more now then we did before? Who has spent more time cooking and experimenting with new and innovative recipes? Have you reorganized closets and drawers? Who’s thought about the $$$ we’re saving on haircuts, clothes and gas/travel? Now I realize that some of these savings have been offset by wine but….

I am not making light of the fact that many of us have had our incomes slashed dramatically and/or been laid off. I am not making light of the fact that many of us are alone and unable to be with others during this time. And I am certainly not making light that many of us are or could become infected with this virus. These are all serious issues. These are challenging and scary times. But we can’t let this virus and the fear it wields consume us. We are a lot stronger than we may think. It’s the challenges in life that show us what we’re really made of. And speaking from experience, you can get through a lot of sh#t that you didn’t originally think you could.

Life is hard and easy; shitty and great; miserable and happy; sad and joyful; fu#cked up and put together. It’s all temporary.

Life is a balancing act. There are ups and downs. Just like the curve of this pandemic…the fear and pain will reach a plateau and then it WILL recede. The bad won’t last forever. It never does. Stay strong. We’ve got this!