Last week, on my [now] daily evening happy hour, something magical happened…

Around 4pm every evening, Jaime will announce with the same enthusiasm, “It feels like BEER O’CLOCK!” It’s been a source of comfort in our new normal life at home. We’re two weeks into social distancing, though it feels two years… in dog years. In the face of the most unsettling moments, our daily happy hour on the porch is my comfort. It’s my anchor in a time when nothing feels certain.

But, maybe, just maybe, we never had that certainty we are clinging to now. ::queue magical AHA moment::

Life Was Never Guaranteed

Our life and all its comforts were never a guarantee to us. We fell into routine, and even though it seemed as if things were reliable because many of our days had a sameness to them… they never were. We are just now piercing through the veil of what was always there. Life has zero guarantees for us. I don’t say this to worry you. I say it in hopes you can find the same inspiration I found in it. Yes, perhaps things feel tricky now, but isn’t it also an exciting time to be present and reinvent yourself?

I went through so many days like I had all the time in the world, often putting off the things that brought me joy, like art or DAILY HAPPY HOURS, because there was always a tomorrow. My takeaway? Take the class, go eat at the fancy restaurant, finish the book, tell your parents you really love them.

A Call To Presence

This disease is scary. It’s hard for me to turn on the news and see the people we are losing in alarming numbers. I am not a healthcare worker, nor do I hold a position that requires me to be on the frontlines to keep essential processes moving. I thank those people SO MUCH for their service. So, what can we do, if we are part of the greater whole, whose mission is to remain at home, if we’re lucky moving our jobs forward from there?

Be present. On a practical level, coronavirus is a call to be acutely aware in a way we are not used to. Our life (or someone else’s) may depend on that one time we forget to sanitize and then scratch our face. On a deeper level than that, we are literally being told to stay home and be present with ourselves. This is a gift, if we are open to receiving it.

I’ve been present with Jaime in a way I haven’t been. I feel AWAKE. I am here. In fact, I am so present in all my daily activities, I’m exhausted by 9pm… and I haven’t even left my house. I was never playing life at 100% because now I now what that feels like. When I’m not in fear or sadness about what’s happening, I can find a little space to be excited. I am alive. I am here. And I am using this time at home wisely to be the person I need to be when this is over.

We’re All In This Together

You are not alone. I’ll repeat this, you are not alone. We are all in this weird time that feels so scary. Although we are social distancing, we don’t have to be isolated from others. I’ve used this time to give friends a call I had only had brief text exchanges with in the last two years. It’s SO easy to let time slip by like that’s all we have. And, again, I don’t say this to be morbid. I’m honestly moved by learning the urgency of this reality. I don’t want to go back to thinking I have so much time. The time is now. And the internet has never felt like a more comforting place. Even the trolls are on TEAM HUMAN ya’ll.

It’s Okay To Do Nothing Sometimes

Look, I don’t want you (or any of us) to do absolutely nothing with this time. I genuinely believe this space is a gift. However, if you need some days to simply be, do that. Feel your feelings. Be in your experience. It’s okay. I find when I allow myself to do that, I move through it quicker. I was sad and mad and frustrated the first week. I needed a few days to chill on my couch and do nothing. You don’t have to do anything to earn your keep on this planet. If you need a day, take it.

And when you have, I bet you will feel inspired.

Who Do You Want To Be?

This is such a great question to ask ourselves now. Who have you been in the world? Have you been showing up? And what do you want life to look like when we can mingle again?

I’ve been hitting SNOOZE and playing life “pretty good” like that was enough. I’m by no means trying to beat myself up, I’ve accomplished some amazing things in the past few years. However, I was 100% comfortable. I was pressing snooze on the things that mattered most, holding off on publishing my book and starting a family, because I thought I had all the time in the world. I wasn’t being present with my husband, not like I could be. I was doing a pretty good job at life. And that was enough to coast and feel mostly good about myself. I’m not there anymore. This (among some other big events in March), have shown me life is happening now.

Yes, the world may be on a pause, but it is still very much moving. When we press play in May [hopefully], where will you be? Will you be a part of the group that continues to wait for someone or something else to happen? Or, will you use this time wisely, get creative and focused, and be a part of the group that is ready to create the world they want?

My hope is you will be in that second group.