Spring & Covid-19

LifespanFamilyMotherhoodParentingMarriage

Mar 15

It’s spring. The chirping birds waking me up, or providing background music to my morning quiet, remind me that the earth’s still holding to its rhythms.

This is always my favorite time of year. The lengthening light reminds us that darkness doesn’t remain. The buds and returning green remind us that barrenness is not the end of the story.

This week a thick pallor has just about choked the life out of our nation and world. Bad news and fear of worsening days, scarcity mindsets, hoarding and self-preservation juxtaposes a season we know as one of awe, wonder, expectation, and rebirth. An ominous cloud of doom and gloom.

When, in my endless thirst for information (hoping for the news to soothe my anxiety . . . which we all know is for profit anyway; more money for “them” if they can keep our eyeballs glued, so therefore it’s not designed to assuage any sort of inner panic), if I go beyond my threshold of getting updates that are necessary for my making wise moves and choices on behalf of my family and community, I experience a visceral shift. I move from feeling anchored, resilient, and calm to fearful and lost in my mind with worry.

My greatest challenge so far in this crisis has been to stay present and grounded in the current reality rather than panicking about what’s being prognosticated on social media posts and by news outlets. It’s hard and takes self-discipline not to fixate on the constant barrage of information and misinformation available. (Mindfulness practices, which boost the immune system, would tell me to stay present with what is in the moment, without judgement. Wisdom practices tell me to take the information available to prepare for, but not panic about what may be.)

So I live in the tension of prevention, staying present, being alert, and preparing for what may be.

All of that said, I’m writing this to let you know how I am intending to care for my soul, and the hearts of my children in the days to come. When I get quiet and back to center I see a special opportunity before us.

Our family will participate in and be part of the beautiful rhythms of spring. I plan to help my children be enveloped in this most wonderful time of year. As Mary Oliver wrote, “Attention is devotion.” I want our eyes, hearts, and attention to be on the miracles of spring; rebirth and growth. (I’m not sure the teenagers will buy in, but they’ll see us living in the miracle of the season. It’s contagious.) We got them a birdfeeder so they can identify and meet the birds in our neighborhood. We’ll be going on nature hikes with the dog. We’ll be NOTICING what we never usually have the time to see.

If the weather’s not cooperative, I also have books I’ve always wanted to read aloud to the kids. For the teenagers, I have books I’ve always wanted them to read, but never insisted upon their reading because of their intense sports and academic schedules. The good things in their very full lives have crowded out their opportunities to have exposure to other important and also very good aspects of life (learning more about financial principles, reading quality literature, experiencing the benefit of slowing down enough to think and be bored).

And love. This period of slow allows us to put our energy toward love. We can look for ways to love. We can look for people to love. We can take the time to send notes, send drawings and paintings, love thoughtfully.

These weeks don’t need to be seen as total losses. Yes, for us small business owners there are losses we can count and will dramatically impact our lives. At the same time, we can live for and have the margin to move in other currencies; those of love and wonder, time and slowness.

So practically speaking, I recommend you keep a running list, place it where you can see it, and easily get to it as it builds . . . here is what my husband and I have come up with:

1) Make nature journals

2) Get a bird feeder and bird seed and find our field guide to birds

3) Put a bird identifier app on the phones

4) Plant flowers? (I will need help from green thumbs to do this successfully.)

5) Use the water color paints—and mail the finished works to grandparents and friends

6) Is there anyone I want to mail notes/cards to?

7) What books have I read this year that I can mail out to others for their enjoyment?

8) What slow down activities have I always seen myself doing with the kids, but haven’t made the time for? (nature hikes . . . read aloud . . . sewing the holes in stuffed animals)

9) Where are my older kids anemic? How can we supplement that in the next months?

10) Nutrition—Lifestyle--- What can I do to model ways of keeping the immune system strong through food choices, getting extra sleep, washing hands, being outside . . .?

11) What’s my heart telling me now that I am not running my kids everywhere? What desires and dreams are whispering to me that I couldn’t hear because of the noise of my life? This is such a good time to listen and recalibrate.

12) None of these are achievable if we let fear rule the day. So FAITH. We are actively speaking intentions as a family and speaking declarations over our mindsets, immune systems, and faith. Here are a few things I do and say out loud to them and over them as the mom of my five kids . . .

1) “We have not been given a spirit of fear, but a spirit of power, love, and a sound mind (fear weakens immunity because it creates cortisol which is immune suppressive).”

2) “I speak strength to your immune system. Your immune system is up for the task.”

3) We have been reading and making personal Psalm 91 as a family (most, but not every evening)

4) In addition to NOTICING spring on our nature hikes, we’ll be NOTICING and on the lookout for the movements of God . . . and, as Jean Vanier wrote, God is hidden in the “heavens” of hearts. We want to be vessels of his movements in and on behalf of the lives of others.

Mary Oliver truly said it best by writing, “Attention is devotion.” Give the circumstance only enough attention to be safe and keep others safe. Be determined not to miss the beauty of spring and the opportunity to experience a slowed down life (which is so so good for the immune system, parasympathetic nervous system, and the soul). Look for ways to reveal heaven to earth in the ways you love and seek to love others in this time.