A few years ago, my life came to a screeching halt that I did not choose and I had to start again and that start was very slow. I was worried about money, worried about how I would survive or even stand up. But… I also began to notice things about myself and things around me that I had never had the time to notice before. The cormorant in the picture was discovered one foggy morning when I realized I could not kayak, which was my solace. I had sat down on a rock in the gloom and as i turned to leave, I saw him or her standing just a few feet away in the water. And I realized how special that was to be gifted by the sight of an unfettered cormorant so close, trusting me.

We are all “paused” and “sheltering in place” due to the Covid-19 virus here in the U.S. and in many other countries of the world…. And thank you to those who are not able to shelter in place and are putting yourselves out there to keep us all alive as we wait this thing out.

And, yes, there are worries…so many…about so many things. We can acknowledge those worries and know they are there for a good reason AND we can also notice some of the things that have changed in a good way for us.

So let’s take a moment for us to be open and curious about what we are now noticing in each day that we may not have been noticing before “sheltering in place.”
Some of those things might be very important to remember when the busy world starts up again.

For example, on one of my calls, someone noticed that her high anxiety about the whole of this pandemic shifts and eases markedly when she turns her attention and listening towards another’s hardships.

On another call, someone noticed that she has really been missing making a pie and the good smells and comfort that brings.

On another, someone said, “ohhhhhh I never noticed before the way hard times can make people do the nicest things for each other, things they might not have thought about before.”

Someone else noticed that she doesn’t really want to go back to the work she had been doing. She said, “I didn’t realize how tense and unhappy I was in that role. I was too busy before this stupid virus stopped the world.” That came with a big sigh of relief and a feeling of release…to even notice and say it.

I notice that while I used to dislike the month of March (brown, gray, and boggy here in New England) that I am enjoying it much more than usual— As I walk the dog, I have been noticing the little signs of Spring that are sprouting, the sound of the spring peepers, every day something tender, waking up and each is a precious celebration. I am noticing every new bird voice that i hear in the morning and that brings a smile.

There is something powerfully good in every pause, even the forced ones, if only we can notice those things alongside the worries and hardships. The hardships are real and the worries have a real reason to be with us, but so do the good things that stopping to notice can bring.

I invite you to share with me both the worries you are carrying and also the good things you are now noticing which you might not have noticed before. And I invite you to contact me….I can support you as you walk through all of this. You are not alone.