Anybody else having a hard time putting into words our current reality?
I'm just trying to get through another day, making sure I'm getting enough sleep, trying to stop eating 4 snacks before lunch, making sure the dishes get done, playing legos with my kids, virtually training teachers in another city, hosting webinars, making tutorials and if I have a quiet moment, like this one, where I manage to get up at 4:30am, I sit here in a bit of a daze, wanting to write but not finding the words.
We're starting to hear more news in Mexico of people we know who have tested positive. We're reading articles that say Mexico isn't going to peak until June which means this new reality of staying home and physically away from others is likely going to last through the summer.
We're seeing how many people in Jalisco (our state) are taking this seriously and staying home as the governor asked, yet we also know there are some neighborhoods and areas of the city which are not taking it seriously as they are the areas that people literally rely on work today to feed their family tomorrow. (I talk about this in this week's podcast episode)
It's all a bit perplexing as I can see both sides of the coin in this case, I've lived here long enough and been married to someone who formerly lived from one day to the next, so I understand the other side as well as the need to stay home right now.
And it's easy to dwell on all the unknowns, the news, the dishes, the laundry, the never-ending list of things we seemingly can't keep up with at our house....or we can choose to use this "extra time" at our house to give thanks, be creative and connect with others.
The best question I've asked myself the past 12 days is "What can I do?" Instead of focusing on all the things I used to do or normally spent my days doing, let's focus on the things we can do now. You still have a choice in how you respond.
What can I create? What can I learn? How can I connect?
As a result, I shared my podcast "Embrace La Música" with the world. I was terrified as it's been live for a month, but I hadn't told anybody beyond 3 friends who helped me get past my imposter syndrome and actually share it with the world.
I've been reading more as I need something to keep my mind occupied and not be on my phone 24/7, sometimes it's been an escape with a fiction novel that has been collecting dust on my shelf or I just picked up "High Performance Habits" again, because what better time to focus on habits than during quarantine when it's so easy to reach for comfort food, rather than choosing foods to fuel my body and mind.
Ironically, connecting with my family around the world and with friends near and far has become more habitual these days as well. Checking in to see how everyone is doing means we are connecting virtually more than before, it's been fun to connect and be more intentional with everyone!
As a mom, I've had to be more creative and patient with my kids who I know look at us adults to understand the current situation. We've been finding new ways to play with toys that we already have and we've been creating fun games. I've heard my kids laughing more over the last 12 days than ever before as we usually play a game of tag, their current obsession, each night and they can't stop laughing while they watch mommy and daddy run around the dining room table.
So yes, the entire world has been turned upside down. Everything we once knew to be normal has been "taken away." But let's focus on what we've been given: time to create, time to learn, new ways to connect.
Focus on what you can do.
You still have a choice in how you respond.
