“Our world has more than enough critics. Be an encourager.” ~ Marie Foleo, Everything is Figureoutable
“I find hope in the darkest of days, and focus in the brightest. I do not judge the universe.” ~ Dalai Lama
Yesterday I took a trip outside for the first time in twenty-three days. I was surprised to see so many cars on the road. Well there weren’t as many as usual, but more than I thought there would be. The parking lots, however, were mostly empty. We have a shelter in place order in our state.
I know some people are going crazy because they’re stuck at home, they’ve watched every movie and TV show, they’ve read every book they had on their night stand. They’ve played games, done puzzles, exercised more than usual, and cleaned house over and over. Or maybe they’ve had to home school their children and that’s driving them crazy. I feel for all of you, especially if you are energized by being out and about interacting with people. This staying at home thing must be torture.
I can’t say I feel the same. I love being quiet at home working on my creative projects with lots of time to journal and think. This morning while I was meditating I felt an overwhelming feeling of gratitude for all the people we usually take for granted. The people who are keeping our society going.
I got an email from our garbage company yesterday assuring us that they would continue to pick up our garbage. How often do we thank the garbage man. Think about how horrible it would be if garbage stacked up everywhere.
Our neighbor works for Safeway. She and all the other grocery workers are making sure their shelves are stocked so we have all the things we need while we stay in as much as possible. And all the people we REALLY take for granted, the people who harvest the fruits and veggies we enjoy.
And I’m extremely grateful for the home repair guys who did all the work we needed to repair underneath our house so we could have our new heat pump installed before the hot weather hits. That was a seventy day process with more than one company and several men working. Thanks guys! We’ll be comfortable through the summer.
We’ve ordered items we needed online and I’m grateful for UPS and USPS workers for delivering those packages.
I have a young cousin and his wife who both work at a hospital in the Portland, Oregon area. They have a two year old son who must stay with grandma and grandpa because they can’t risk exposing him to the virus. I can’t imagine how hard that must be, but I’m grateful for all the people who are there to protect our safety and health who are in the same boat.
I have a niece who is about to give birth, and only her husband will be allowed to be with her in the hospital because of the precautions that need to be taken at this time. She’ll be required to stay in the hospital for an extended period of time to be sure she and the baby are safe. Contact with grandparents, aunts and uncles will not be allowed until this whole thing is over.
I’m also grateful for all the actors, artists, musicians, and dancers who are producing videos to entertain us. They’re continuing to be creative no matter what. I love that!
And thank you to all the business owners who are repurposing their businesses to produce medical equipment and supplies, or who are flying to acquire things our medical people need to protect themselves and help their patients. It’s fantastic that people are looking around, finding a need and stepping up and making sure the work gets done.
I would wager that each of you reading this have your own stories of people to be grateful for. You probably have people you are concerned about. I send my prayers and love out to you. This is an extremely difficult time, but it helps me cope if I find things to be grateful for.
Wow! We’re so lucky to be living through this time when we can witness the kindness of strangers. It restores my faith in humanity.
I’m grateful for all of you who follow me and who like and comment. Stay safe and healthy.
Lucinda Sage-Midgorden © 2020
Lucinda is the author of The Space Between Time, an award finalist in the “Fiction: Fantasy” category of the 2017 Best Book Awards.
Have you ever experienced life shattering events? Yeah, most of us have. In The Space Between Time, Jenna Holden gets slammed by her fiancé walking out, her mother’s untimely death, and losing her job all in one week. But she receives unexpected help when she finds her three-times great-grandmother’s journals and begins the adventure of a lifetime.
The Space Between Time is available in all ebook formats at Smashwords and for Kindle at Amazon, or you can find the ebook at iBooks or Barnes and Noble. If you prefer a physical copy, you can find a print-on-demand version at Amazon. Stay tuned for news when the audiobook version is published.
Sage Woman Chronicles 