In a world full of doubt, a world with a new appreciation of the word “unprecedented,” a world where bad news has become the expectation of the day, we’re tackling the dilemma of maintaining relationships while maintaining our (social) distance.
The assurance that “you’ll be alright,” is an important one, one that we, as a species capable of hope, need to hear. But there’s a question that I think we all need to ask of ourselves and our loved ones, “are you alright?” Not “will you be alright?” but, “are you alright?”
We’re busy looking down the road, looking to the time when we “flatten the curve,” looking to a time when getting gasoline at Wawa also means grabbing a drink from inside - like the good old days, before this COVID-19 stuff.
When we look down that road, we say “you’ll/we’ll/they’ll be okay.” How about the spot we’re at now? Are you okay? Without thinking about what’s to come, how are you right now? As the world is changing, as we examine the infrastructure for delivering online learning or counting the number of people in the room, or doing that awkward dance you do when you go in for a handshake and realize we’re in a world where touching is viewed as slightly less dangerous than Nick Wallenda walking a tightrope across an active volcano - how are you RIGHT NOW?
I’m not suggesting that we stop examining our future and find the hope in the “yet-to-come.” I’m just saying that to show ourselves (and others) some grace, the “right now” means more than ever!
It sounds almost Zen, I know, but stopping to take stock of your own well-being is the first step in effective self care, and that is a critical part of being able to say, “you’ll be alright.”