Dear Friends,
As we begin a second year of the pandemic, post-inauguration, in the midst of so many losses, so many crises, and the darkness of winter, our collective adrenaline is crashing. We are tired. It’s been a haul, and there is a long road ahead of us. We need to give ourselves permission to rest, regroup, renew like the daffodil bulbs, the brown bears, and the water frogs.
It’s quite possible and necessary to pause without turning away. It does not deny what we still face. It just acknowledges that our human bodies and our spirits are alive and need care. Doing so allows us to then keep on with our hearts open and our spirits grounded in our faith, in the Light.
So, for a little bit, dear ones, I encourage you to rest. Unsubscribe from the constant urgent updates from The New York Times or The Guardian. Make a pile of the books and articles you need to read in order to be more informed and awake to injustice—and commit to reading them later. Give yourself permission to sit and look out the window without purpose. Let things sift through you.
Go on a joy vacation. Gather some supplies with which you can be creative. It doesn’t matter whether you dance, cook, sew, write, draw, garden, paint, build, or make. What matters is that you enjoy it, that it absorbs your being for a little while, that you lose track of time and space.
Intentionally care for your serotonin level—the chemical in your brain that helps you feel stable and well and that when low causes feelings of depression. Get out in the sunshine (take your hat off for 20 minutes if you won’t be frost-bitten or sunburned by doing so) and exercise—even just going for walks is good!
Start a simple gratitude practice.
Connect with others who help you feel seen, with whom you feel connected whether over Zoom, the phone, old-fashioned mail, or safe-distanced/masked visits outside. It’s okay if you don’t want to have serious conversations—it’s about remembering you are not alone. That you share history, stories, and memories with others. That you belong.
And laugh. Watch silly movies, listen to funny podcasts or recordings, read a comforting or favorite book, play games, do random acts of kindness.
Whether it’s a few days, or weeks, be more mindful to take care, dear Friends. Be in touch if it would be helpful, especially in finding ways to connect with others. (Do check out the many possibilities in this newsletter.) As my friend Mary just said to me on the phone, “We will get through this, but it’s going to be a haul yet.”
Sending each of you love and hope,