I said in my last post that March comes in like a lion and out like a lamb - not this month! This is a March that none of us will forget. This March is ending with uncertainty, fear and at least for me, hope. I had no idea at the beginning of this month that the whole world could change so dramatically in such a short time. I think the day that changed things in my mind was on March 11th, when the WHO declared the Coronavirus a pandemic, President Trump announced the U.S. would be closing their borders to Europe. And then the NBA announced they were suspending their season. Then the next day the NHL announced they would be doing the same. From there it was a domino effect of cancellations, closures and dramatic public addresses from the Prime Minister of Canada and many world leaders, letting all of us know the magnitude of the COVID-19.
For my family, there was a period of shock and then grief at some of the initial changes. My son's City Championship games were canceled ending their great run through the playoffs along with the year end party. For my daughter, it was the heartbreaking news that her team would not be competing in the Provincial Championships that they had worked so hard all year to qualify for. Then there was the cancellation of our Spring Break plans to visit my parents in St. George Utah, where they were holidaying for March and April.
Then things got even more serious with the schools closing, my husband having to work from home and me feeling uneasy about my parents being out of the country. They changed their plans and came home after Justin Trudeau looked in the TV camera and said "If you are a Canadian abroad, it's time to come home." We became glued to the TV to try to understand what was happening and what to expect. To some degree, we are still doing that. But we are getting used this "new normal" of social distancing and staying at home.
I would say that this is one of the most uncertain periods of time that I have ever experienced. It is frightening and tragic to hear the stories of people who have died or lost loved ones to this virus. It is sad to hear of people getting laid off, businesses closing and the our economy plummeting with no sense of when things will turn around. And in the midst of all this mess, there are still positive possibilities.
I wish this never happened and I hope that this will pass and solutions will be found as soon as possible. And in the meantime, I am choosing to focus on any positive things I can see in this for myself and the people around me. One thing I am grateful for in all of this is the time I am getting to spend with my family. We have dinner together every night. Everyone helps in some way with either the preparation or clean-up. We have interesting conversations. We are having ping-pong championships, playing board games, going for walks together. My daughter and I are doing yoga together. We even got to do some painting together, which was one of the things I had set out to focus on this month. Some of our creations are shown in the images below. It was so much fun for both of us to create them! I am also running or walking every day. I am getting lots of sleep. I am eating healthy meals (in addition to some unhealthy snacks I have been indulging in). These are all things that I have wanted to focus on in the previous two months (except for the indulging).
I am also staying connected with my coaching clients by phone or Zoom and am inspired by all the productive and positive things they are doing during this crisis. A lot of my clients are using this time to work on writing their books and may be published authors by the time we all get to come out of isolation.I am connecting with friends and neighbours by text, Zoom, FaceTime. People are sharing information and good ideas for how to move forward. My friend who lives across the street from me organized a group of us neighbourhood friends to pool our money and buy groceries for 3 single moms who reached out through the COVID-19 Calgary Facebook Page. Another friend worked with her daughter to put uplifting messages on all her neighbours mailboxes and organized people to make cards or messages of hope for Seniors who have to be isolated at this time. My lovely friend Kathy made a toilet paper roll cake for me for my birthday and delivered it with balloons and flowers wearing a mask and gloves! People are finding ways to spread joy. The news is filled with stories of how people are finding creative ways to stay in touch with each other and support others. And the medical community has become our culture's superheroes, performing heroic feats to keep people alive and healthy.
So even though this is one of the most challenging times our modern society has experienced, it is a time of incredible possibility. What could be possible for you during this time? Be intentional and see what you can create for yourself and/or the world.
Please share any of your great ideas or actions you are taking during this time. You could be a great source of inspiration for others. You can share in the comments below, in our Weekly ONE Thing Facebook Group or on Facebook or any other social media. I look forward to reading your posts! Below ins the link to the Weekly ONE Thing Group where I will post a few of my favourite links I have received in the last few weeks (some informational, some hilarious)!
And stay tuned for my MAP- April post on the first Monday of April which is April 6th! We will keep going with, "My Amazing-Year Plan," mapping things out month by month and creating a wonderful year for ourselves (in spite of this virus)!