It’s Time to Level Up
Pull-ups
Last night, our youngest slept without a pull-up on for the first time. We’ve been contemplating when would be the right time for her to level up, and then we ran out of pull-ups, so now is the right time. Of course, we couldn’t run to the store, and we prefer that someone who needs them, has them. Reportedly, moms are hoarding baby supplies, and as a mother of twins who was traumatized by running out of supplies, I get it.
She cried and cried and cried at the thought of it. But I can’t, Mama, what if I have an accident? That’s ok. You might. But Daddy and I are here to help. We’ll tuck you now, then he’ll wake up to go potty when he goes to bed late, and then Mama will wake you up to go potty when I get up early, and maybe you won’t have an accident.
Spoiler alert: She did not have an accident. She was ready, but she didn’t know it, because the idea of doing it was scarier than actually doing it.
And that’s often the case. We get so scared of how something will turn out, wondering if we have what it takes to achieve it, or of facing uncertainty. Just doing it is often less scary than endlessly anticipating it, but right now, it’s the uncertainty and the open-ended timeline that’s getting to us.
Zoom
Today, my twins did their first online meeting with their teacher and the other first graders studying Mandarin. They had a little bit of stage fright before they went on, which I found interesting because they have grown up with FaceTime and Marco Polo and cameras and phones in their face.
They didn’t cry, but they did hide under my desk at the thought of it. But I can’t, Mama. I’ve never done it before. That’s ok. You’ll figure it out. Your teacher and your friends will be there too, and you’ll all figure it out together.
Spoiler alert: They did it. They loved it, but they didn’t want to try it, because the idea of it made them feel uncomfortable.
And it works that way a lot too. We often are scared of anything that stretches the boundaries of our comfort zone. Right now, it’s working from home, learning new tech, teaching our kids, being together 24/7, and ordering groceries online that’s getting to us.
Earth Day
We are less than a month from the 50th anniversary of Earth Day. A writer I follow on Medium wrote a funny piece about how his friend called him with his theory about all this. You know when people smoked when it was a thing, like in the 50s, 60s, or 70s, whenever that was? Anyway, when your dad would catch you smoking a cigarette, he would make you smoke the whole pack. The idea was you’d get sick and never smoke again.
His friend’s theory is that Mother Earth is over it. She sees us negligent, distracted, completely missing the glory of her gifts. So, if we choose to be on devices all day, missing the wonders of being alive on this planet, she’s going to lock us all in our houses to be on devices until we get sick of it, and change our behavior. She’s making us smoke the whole pack.
You’ve probably seen the dolphin video from the Venice canals. There have already been material improvements in the air quality in the places where people are in lockdown. It’s not a substitute for proactive climate change policy, but it’s an indicator that we can come together to affect change.
There are already many lessons frpm Coronavirus and many to come. The net net for me is the Earth is worth fighting for, and people can change.
We can level up. We want to level up. We want to do the right thing. There’s a message circulating social media. It’s attributed to Bill Gates, but apparently, he wasn’t the one who started it. It’s beautiful nonetheless, and since I couldn’t find the actual source, I thought I’d just pass it along from FB because it hits the right note.
What is the Corona/ Covid-19 Virus Really Teaching Us?
I’m a strong believer that there is a spiritual purpose behind everything that happens, whether that is what we perceive as being good or being bad.
As I meditate upon this, I want to share with you what I feel the Corona/ Covid-19 virus is really doing to us:
1) It is reminding us that we are all equal, regardless of our culture, religion, occupation, financial situation, or how famous we are. This disease treats us all equally; perhaps we should too. If you don’t believe me, just ask Tom Hanks.
2) It is reminding us that we are all connected, and something that affects one person has an effect on another. It is reminding us that the false borders that we have put up have little value as this virus does not need a passport. It is reminding us, by oppressing us for a short time, of those in this world whose whole lives are spent in oppression.
3) It is reminding us of how precious our health is and how we have moved to neglect it through eating nutrient-poor manufactured food and drinking contaminated water filled with chemicals upon chemicals. If we don’t look after our health, we will, of course, get sick.
4) It’s reminding us of the shortness of life, and what is essential, which is to help each other, especially the old or sick. Our purpose is not to buy toilet roll.
5) It is reminding us of how materialistic our society has become and how, when in times of difficulty, we remember that it’s the essentials that we need (food, water, medicine) as opposed to the luxuries that we sometimes unnecessarily give value to.
6) It is reminding us of how important our family and home life is and how much we have neglected this. It is forcing us back into our houses so we can rebuild them into our homes and strengthen our family unit.
7) It is reminding us that our true work is not our job; that is what we do, not what we were created to do. Our true work is to look after each other, protect each other, and be of benefit to each other.
8) It is reminding us to keep our egos in check. It is reminding us that no matter how great we think we are or others are, a virus can bring our world to a standstill.
9) It is reminding us that the power of free will is in our hands. We can choose to cooperate and help each other, to share, to give, to help and to support each other, or we can choose to be selfish, to hoard, to look after only our self. Indeed, it is difficulties that bring out our true colors.
10) It is reminding us that we can be patient, or we can panic. We can either understand that this type of situation has happened many times before in history and will pass, or we can panic and see it as the end of the world and, consequently, cause ourselves more harm than good.
11) It is reminding us that this can either be an end or a new beginning. This can be a time of reflection and understanding, where we learn from our mistakes, or it can be the start of a cycle that will continue until we finally learn the lesson we are meant to.
12) It is reminding us that this Earth is sick. It is reminding us that we need to look at the rate of deforestation just as urgently as we look at the speed at which toilet rolls are disappearing off of shelves. We are sick because our home is sick.
13) It is reminding us that after every difficulty, there is always ease. Life is cyclical, and this is just a phase. We do not need to panic; this, too, shall pass.
14) Whereas many see the Corona/ Covid-19 virus as a great disaster, I prefer to see it as a great corrector. It’s to remind us of the critical lessons that we seem to have forgotten, and it is up to us if we will learn them or not.