Blinders
It’s time to get off our asses. We are living in a pandemic with no end in sight. The days are blending together, the weeks are passing and the months are slowly ticking away. The dark days are surrounding us and the weight of the world is being held up by each of us individually. We are isolated and lonely. We are detached and withdrawn. Our feet aren’t grounded and the weight is heavier than we can hold, pushing us down harder and faster than ever before. Fuck it, lets put some blinders on and make it through the next 10 minutes without a worry in the world. Lets laugh and smile and look no further than the next step ahead. Lets embrace what we have and be thankful for the little things that surround us. We need to stop wishing for what’s not there and what might not come.
Right now we need to be open to everything. Our experiences and memories are going to be shaped by our attitude. The stress isn’t going away just because we let it dictate our decisions. The weight isn’t going to come off just because we are sitting at home pissed off. Ranting on Facebook isn’t going to change the world. We are going about this from the wrong angle. We are shaming and blaming. We are wasting energy worrying about what other people aren’t doing. We need to bring a smile to the world, even if it’s just with our eyes. We need to be gentle with the people around us, even if it’s from six feet away. We need to show the world that we are part of the solution, that we are one piece of the support that is needed to make it through this.
Now is the time to make the effort. Spend a moment talking to the checker at the grocery store. Leave an extra trip for server who provides your dining experience. Ask the bank teller how they are doing, and really mean it. We need to combine forces, because we are all in this together. Give a break to the people around you. Instead of seeing what’s wrong, spend a whole day seeing what’s right. I guarantee you will have a little more faith in the world if you put the blinders on to all the positive interactions. Because right now, we need to focus on what is right here in front of us. The world is a very dark place right now. And it is all too easy to get sucked down into the vortex of gloom. But that vortex is strong and it will pull you fast and far.
We don’t need to be sucked into the darkness. We can drink wine with our friends and gossip about the fuckeries of our own lives. We can watch movies and eat popcorn all night long. We can take walks with people and be an ear to listen. We can be there for each other in so many ways, we just have to be creative.
Maybe we just need to close our eyes and take ourselves on a mental vacation, somewhere warm and free. Maybe we need to Zoom friends from across the country and laugh over memories from years past. Maybe we need to get outside and enjoy mother nature. But whatever we do, we need to start pacing ourselves for a shift in life, a shift in perspective. I want to be a better person at the end of this. I want to be a better parent to my boys, and I will honestly tell you I am getting a lot of extra time to practice. I want to bring my best selves to my friendships and my classes, my clients and my family.
And right now, I feel the blinders can help us make it through the tough days. They can help us see what we do have and what we can give. They can help us come inside of ourselves and see a glimmer of hope, instead of looking far out into the world where one voice seems muted. We need to stop the negativity. We need to stop the shaming. We need to just stop. We are all suffering. All of our lives are up in the air. All of our futures are unknown. But with all of that, we also have the best opportunity to create each moment, shaping it in any way that we want. We get to breath deep and enjoy time at home, enjoy time alone. But we need to embrace this.
During these times, it’s hard to stay in the present, it’s hard to not look ahead at the future. More times than not we are relying on our memories of the past to carry us into the next day, the next moment. Our world isn’t getting easier. So lets take a new approach and reach out to someone. Lets smile from the inside of our car and wave at people you don’t even know. Lets focus on making today, this moment, a better day for someone else.