Good afternoon, Friends!
How are you doing this week? Don’t just answer with the usual, “I’m fine” or “I’m doing well”. Really stop and think about how you are doing. I can tell you from my personal perspective that my outlook varies a lot throughout the week, or even throughout the day. Most of the time I can say that I am doing well, coping well, feeling ok mentally and physically. Other times I find that I am anxious, or angry at the situation, or even fearful. I think it is normal to go through ranges of emotions and thoughts as we are navigating through this crisis period.
There are a couple of things I am trying to focus on to keep myself in a good place emotionally. The first thing is that I have been very deliberate about communicating with my family and friends. I speak to my dad and my brothers every day by phone and have a scheduled Facetime call with them on the weekend. We have an understanding that these calls are not to share scary COVID information but are for lighthearted conversation and talking about things the way we did in the pre-coronavirus era. I always feel so good after those calls. They are a highpoint of my day.
The second thing I am trying to do is that I am looking for things that are beautiful that I haven’t noticed before or have been taking for granted. These things are everywhere – some natural and some are manmade. Below is a photo of some of the flowers in my garden. Something about the way the sun was shining on them this morning made them especially lovely and so I thought I would share them with you. I also loved the post from Bill66 last night where he shared the photos of the shells someone has painted and placed in his community. These shells were painted with inspirational messages and left where passersby would see them and bring a moment of joy. Such a simple gesture that means so much!
Can I encourage you to find something beautiful today and take a moment to really appreciate it? The world has slowed down a little, and I think it is a good time to take advantage of that and look around for things that bring us happiness. I think we will be glad we did.
Let us know how you are doing or share a photo or description of the things that bring you joy. We would love to hear from you!