Day Nineteen: Connect to What You CAN Do

We’ve all been shut up in our houses for a long time now and all I can see over and over are the things I can’t do anymore. Parks? All closed. Friends? Quarantining. Shopping? Online only. Even something as simple as going to the grocery store for some things I forgot becomes a hard decision. When my mind sees restriction after restriction, I start to obsess and resist. All of a sudden I can’t stop thinking about going for a hike or having coffee with a friend. I can’t stop fantasizing about a quiet house and children tired out from school and activities.

But down that path lies insanity. I have to connect to the things I am able to do right now. Not in a blindly optimistic way. This is not the time to pretend that my family gets along at all moments or that parenting is just a bundle of rainbows. In some ways, I have to admit how hard this has been just so I can start tapping into the small things that I’m not restricted from doing.

To relax, I can do deep breathing. To rest, I can go to bed earlier. To have fun, I can read trashy novels. I can also download Duolingo and learn a new language. I can sit in my garden and feel the air on me. And most of all, I can forgive all of us for our rough moments. This is not normal and we are allowed to be less than our best. So what can you do today, even this moment, to make life just a little better?