What has surprised you about the way you’ve shown up to this global pandemic adventure?
When we are under significant stress (which we all are — isn’t the magnitude of this shared experience amazing?), we tend to respond in some combination of four ways:
I’ve seen each of these, individually and organizationally over the past month.
I hesitate even to write the word “unprecedented.” But these times really are. We’ve been radically disrupted and shaken to our core. And the ride isn’t over yet.
Is it even possible to think about planning at a time like this, when our previous plans seem irrelevant and our ability to predict the future with any certainty seems non-existent? Not to mention the fact that we are busy, distracted and exhausted? Continue reading “Can we plan at a time like this?”
I’ve just finished reading a novel called American Dirt. In it, a mother and son need to jump aboard a moving train, more than once. Timing is critical, and it’s terrifying every time.
Do you feel a bit like that these days?
I mentioned in a previous post that this period of pandemic-related disruption has thrown off my sense of timing. My comment resonated with many of you, and I’ve been giving it further thought.
How the world has changed in a couple of short years weeks!
Time has both compressed and stood still, don’t you think? The days are blurring together, yet our life of just a month ago seems like a distant memory. I refer to something that happened “last week,” then remember it was only yesterday.
My perspective on other things also seems to be off kilter. At times it seems like I have a laser-sharp focus on what is truly important — connecting with people despite social distancing; making sure we have provisions as we self-isolate in a house of seven; washing my hands — yet I also notice myself fixating on unimportant details (like wishing I could get my hair cut or my nail polish off) or forgetting momentarily that we can’t safely do certain things that we’re accustomed to doing (such as getting in a car with someone to grab milk when we are carefully keeping 6 feet apart). Continue reading “Perspective”
I’ve been thinking more than usual about background noise.
Some background noise needs to be created, like the fake ocean sounds in a baby’s nursery that help her go to sleep.
Some background noise needs to be moved from the background to the foreground of our attention so that we can consciously listen to it and actually appreciate it, like insects on a summer evening or construction noise that may seem like a nuisance but represents renovation and renewal. Continue reading “Background Noise”
