2020 has been humbling in so many ways. I can't say that Meghan Markle usually gets me thinking. But, humbled again. I read her article in the NYT , titled, The Losses We Share and cried. Why?
“Loss and pain have plagued every one of us in 2020, in moments both fraught and debilitating.”
She ends with
“Are we OK?
We will be.”
At a recent family dinner I was reminded once again, that it is OK.
- Our business has dropped 90%. And we are OK.
- One of the diners was born with the umbilical cord around their neck, 3 times, they got a 1 on their first Apgar. (I was there, they had just exited my body.) They are OK.
- Another of of those children was hospitalized with meningitis at 6 weeks. They are OK.
- Another one of those children was born with crack in their system and remembers the mac and cheese that the police gave them when they were 4 and were removed from the motel room where they had been for days without food. They are OK.
I have no idea what the future holds. Never actually have. Life shifts. It always has. Sometimes it is joyous. Sometimes it is heartbreaking.
If I can hold onto treating everyone in my life, starting with me, with honesty and kindness, then I'll be OK. Somedays that is easier to do than others. Today, I am OK. If I don't spiral into “OMG, how did this happen!? How are we going to support ourselves?! Why is that customer so angry at me for something that she did?!” I can even feel excited by the unknown / different-than-imagined, future.
To all of you, are you okay? How can you treat yourself with tender loving care today-even with kids or other family members screaming. Everyone is having a hard time these days. Everyone. Take care of you, then the kids, then whoever else you want to! Feeling the grief? Reach out, get outdoors, walk, run, stretch, in SF? Stop by the shop, we're a small business, we care and we can all use reminders that it's OK. Because it is.
