Dose of Optimism #12

Are you pandemic-ing the right way?

If you are like us, at some point during the past few weeks you probably asked yourself this question:

Am I doing it right?  

It might have been in any of the following formulations:  Was I careful not to touch something?  Did I come too close to that person?  Did I remember to wipe that down?  Did I touch my face?  Why isn’t that person wearing a mask?  Why aren’t I?

As much information as there is about how to navigate these most uncertain times, it feels like it’s our very own uncertainty is hard to set aside. We feel the pressure of not only protecting our own health, but the health of others we care about.  We are told that even the health of the community around us depends on us doing certain things that are unfamiliar and make us feel uneasy. 

With all of these directions… and questions… we can start to feel not only uncomfortable in this moment, but also unsure of ourselves. 

This sense of judgment… the insecurity…  it all comes from a place of fear. A fear of what we are doing or not doing; a fear of what the world will be like… what WE will be like… in this new normal.

Even more than the coronavirus, it might be that fear is what sickens the greatest number of us.

Fortunately, however, each of us has a bit of the antidote:  loving-kindness mixed with a dose of compassion and a scoop of empathy.  Maybe even a sprinkle of optimism too.

Yes, this is an unquestionably difficult time. But it is not endless - one day soon, there will be treatments and a vaccine for coronavirus. Until then, however, loving-kindness is the kind of medicine we can all offer to ourselves and others to stop the spread of fear. And here is the great news:  even if you just try a little bit, you don’t need to bother asking….

You will be doing it right. 

Check out this extraordinary video that inspired this dose of optimism, and reminds all of us that we can feel better about how we experience this pandemic, if we choose to (via Prince Ea/YouTube)