Yes. We feel stressed.
I’ve been feeling a little bit frozen, have you? Thinking about all the things, yet unable to produce much of anything. The intensity of the times, the confrontation of experiences, the clash of ideas and opinions: it makes my head hurt and it makes my heart hurt…..well, it makes my life hurt. Nothing feels right or normal. I know I’m not alone.
So, what do we do?
My method is: don’t rush things if you don’t have to. We human beings need time. Time to think, time to process, time to adjust. What seems right initially may not pass for “right” after living with the concept for a little while. So, take the time that you need.
Things seem urgent – and in some respects they are. But not everything has to change right now, today, this minute.
We may have to sit in the midst of discomfort and turmoil while things get worked out culturally and as the coronavirus loses its power. And while we wait, we’ll also do what we can.
We’ll eat, we’ll sleep, we’ll go about our day and we’ll discuss these times with our children. And, hopefully, we’ll model thought processes and behaviors that are worth emulating. (And if we mess up, we’ll self-correct and apologize.)
We’ll look after our family and our neighbors. Check up on our friends.
We’ll do some research to understand our problems as a local community and as a nation and discover how we can make a positive contribution to effect needed change.
We’ll make plans for this crazy summer and decide what to do about school this fall.
Because, most likely, the sun will still come up tomorrow, the days and weeks will march on. You and I will still be the ones our families look to for support and guidance and a plan to keep moving forward with strength and grace. They still need us in the same way that they needed us in 2019. In a world of change, this does not change.
There may be disruption all around us, but it doesn’t have to be in our home and with us every moment of the day. I’m not saying to ignore the issues at hand, which are beyond important. What I am saying is that – as parents – it is also our imperative to be a source of stability and rational guidance through challenging times. We all need a place of calm. This calls for, among other things, being purposeful in the role of media in our family’s life.
So, are we stressed? Yes – these are tumultuous times.
But we’ll give ourselves time to process. We’ll get help if we need it.
And when we emerge, we’ll find that we’re just as capable as ever to take on what is truly important, maneuver through distractions and work towards accomplishing our goals. In other words, as always, we will do our best to make this a better world.
