Finding Silver Linings in Hard Times

It’s funny how, when things seem the darkest, moments of beauty present themselves in the most unexpected places. ~ Karen Marie Moning

Modern live is full of anxiety, our 24 hour news cycle and the internet keep us thoroughly informed of every disaster, horror and reason for worry anywhere on the planet.  Add to that an actual worry with the coronavirus outbreak and life can be anxiety filled indeed.

During these times we have a lot of things we need to be doing.  Many are losing hours due to lack of work, stores are running out of certain foods and health products.  We are worried about getting us or loved ones getting sick and trying to follow the social distancing protocols the government is asking us to entertain.  People are being inconvenienced in so many ways, lack of child care, canceled trips and vacations, having to find new ways to work remotely.

So where are the silver linings?  They’re actually all around us.  Social distancing and isolation sounds really terrible.  But let’s also remember that social distancing doesn’t mean you have to stay locked in your house.  You can go out for a hike, or a stroll in a park.  I saw a family today playing ball together in a field.  This can be an opportunity to do some family activities together that don’t involve electronic devices.  Lord knows we will all get plenty of time during this time of coronavirus to burn through our Netflix, Hulu and Amazon Prime ques, while adding new services like CBS All Access, Disney+ etc…  But you also have time to read and get your kids to read more.

Although I’m a huge introvert and already spend a lot of time socially isolated, I will have even more time at home.  So how am I going to use this extra time to my advantage?  Mostly I’m going to put energy into things I always want more time to do.  So I’ll be writing more, working on my Spanish, practicing guitar, doing some photography and organizing photos.  This is a chance to cook more and get creative cooking with what you have in the house.

For those of you with the difficult task of keeping children entertained during this time.  there are a lot of possibilities.  Hopefully you stocked up on arts and crafts supplies, there are lot of internet resources including virtually experiencing the flight of Apollo 13, lots of museums who’ve put parts of their collections online and it’s a great time to help kids expand their skills.  Build something with them, paint something and just play silly games with them.  Make up crazy stories, who knows, you could turn into the next J.K. Rowling or JRR Tolkein.

Basically, as always, happiness and your attitude are a choice.  You can choose to feel trapped and miserable and get lost in worry.  Or you can take it as a fun challenge and find ways to make it enjoyable.  But I’m not stupid, I realize that at some point if this goes on long enough it will get frustrating, you’ll get down.  So remember to also be creative about finding ways to take care of yourself and get what you need.  Feeling better also helps keep your immune system working.  So have happy days my friends and stay well and safe.        ~ Rev Kane