Some not-so-snarky thoughts:
This evening I crawled into bed between my two little girls. I don’t usually sleep with them, but the world is heavy and confusing right now and they need me. They felt the mattress redistribute my weight and silently nestled their heads into the crook of each of my shoulders. I smiled in the dark knowing that I had my girls safely in my arms. I tried to close my eyes but they just kept popping back open like my mind wasn’t done for the day. I laid there exhausted but wide awake wondering what I hadn’t processed yet, and more specifically why I was enjoying this moment between my babes so much. Like that rush of cold air when you accidentally open a window while driving down the highway it hit me. They didn’t need me, I needed them.
Suddenly my mind was flooded. Why did I not realize this immediately?! They barely have any grasp on what is happening in the world, and at the ages of 6 and 4, I’d like to mostly keep it that way. I will not shelter them from reality, but they need not feel the gravity of it all. What I will do, is love them. And what I learned this evening is that I need to be a little more aware of the times when I’m the one who needs their love.
What if what this world truly needs is a little shift in perspective? A counterpoint. An enlightened opposite opinion. A different point of view.
What if the Earth doesn’t actually need us to save it, the Earth just needs us to back off and let it breathe.
What if teachers need less doubtful parents, and more parents eager to assist with learning at home? We might not be skilled at “homeschooling”, BUT LOOK AT US TRY. It’s beautiful.
What if our kids need a little less time at after school activities, and a little more time being loved at home.
What if our close relationships need less distance, and more quality time together?
What if we didn’t eat dinner out for pleasure alone, but also because those who work in the industry actually need our business to survive?! I’ve never seen so many desperate posts from hospitality workers, followed by so many gracious customers praising them and their establishments.
What if we all realized that our businesses could still survive with slightly less attention, while our families would thrive with some undivided attention.
What if we always appreciated the nurses, janitors, front line workers, truck drivers, and grocery store clerks? Can you imagine?!
What if our grandparents need less perfect holiday dinners and more random phone calls? This quarantine has forced us to reach out to our elders. Perhaps we cannot embrace them, but how wonderful that all the grandparents are getting extra FaceTime calls from their family and grandkids.
What if you actually put your phone down and watched your child instead for a while. I know we find comfort in our electronics and in the lives and opinions of other people for some strange reason but you’re being literally forced to slow your life down. Breathe. Watch them play. Watch them laugh. Watch them do that stupid trick they’ve been working on all day. Watch the whole trick, even though it takes forever.
What if this social distancing actually brought us together somehow? What if the Earth healed, and the immediate families became closer, and our elders became a priority? What if nurses and front line workers finally got the recognition they deserve? They are headed into war and I am here snuggled between my children in a warm bed. I need to do better.
This coronavirus is a wake-up call to all of humanity. We can adapt. We can do better. We can change our point of view. We can put the Earth and our families, and our communities first. We can continue random acts of kindness even after this ends. Many of us can work from home and spend more time with our kids. We can help our neighbors. We can still have meaningful conversations with our spouse. We can FaceTime our Grandparents. We can learn together, and we can improve together. We are being forced to prove to ourselves that we are capable of doing better.
It pains me to think that humanity was forced to bear the burden of so much death, so that we might love a little more deeply, and cherish the relationships that we often take for granted. Please. Do not let this lesson be forgotten. Please. Use this isolation to improve yourself. Please. Love your littles. Please. Stay home. Godspeed.
