Simple pleasure of the week: connection
With COVID-19, and all of the mandatory restrictions that come along with it, everyone in this country is sharing a common experience. We are all affected. All of our lives have been altered in some incredibly impactful way. I find myself feeling more connected to others right now, even with this shelter-in-place order, not less. The stories I hear of others’ suffering feels almost personal because their stories could become mine. The mothers who are having to deliver their babies alone in New York because of the newly implemented no visitor policies could be me. The older adults that are dying from this virus could be my parents. We are all affected and we are all in this together. We are all responsible for doing our part to stop the spread of this virus and our actions truly affect everyone else. I’m not sure if we’ve ever been more connected, or at least as aware of our connection. Though this connection is happening under horrific circumstances, the connection is still beautiful. I find myself caring more than I have in a long time about people I don’t even know and the caring feels good. I find myself talking with my parents on the phone more frequently than I ever have, Skyping with friends in other cities, and using ZOOM to practice yoga with friends. We now have to put more intention and effort into our connection and that’s not necessarily a bad thing. So this week, even with our shelter-in-place orders and mandatory isolations, connection is this weeks’ simple pleasure. Happy Weekend!