Hoping For Flowers
“The darkness that follows a sunset is never so dark that it can change the inevitability of a sunrise.
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As I am sitting in my office, amidst mounds of chaos and clutter while remodeling the room, I can’t help but focus on the chaos happening outside of my home. The sadness and confusion everywhere worldwide. I decided to write this post against my advice to not post until “I’m ready” or “everything is perfect” in my eyes, I’ll save that for another blog. But this post isn’t about me, or a product, or advice, or anything home related for that matter. This post is about hope within ourselves amidst the struggles.
We’re all experiencing this pandemic in our unique ways. Nonetheless we all FEEL something. Be it distress, despair, uncertainty, ignorance, loneliness… name your poison. Media, news and public announcements fluctuate only to show that no one really has an immediate answer or the perfect solution that would give us the comfort we need.
I feel blessed because my situation has been a bit uncommon prior to this, in that I am somewhat of a loner, so I did not feel the sudden “drop” that everyone else experienced. We moved to a secluded property on a hill in a very small town, I work from home, I do not have any children and the majority of my friends and family are spread out across the globe. I know this self-distancing life all too well because I honestly live it everyday. Yet, I know that all of us have a unique story of how the Coronavirus affected them personally.
My family and I were hit pretty hard from different unexpected angles. On one end my brother was stuck in Florida, while my sister-in-law was in Washington state: pregnant, alone and closing on a new home by herself. On the other end, my dad got a random virus, similar to meningitis in his brain, lost all movement, control and was in immense pain. We could not be with him in the hospital, not even my mom. He also has dementia so he was utterly confused, not eating, screaming, battling everyone around because he simply doesn’t understand what is going on. I felt helpless, useless, unproductive, angry and pathetic. You also know the drill, when it rains it pours. Both our dogs got sick in their unique ways, one more so than the other though. We own a small RV that we rent out as a way of making its payments.. guess what? All rentals have obviously been canceled, even ones in the future so we have to find creative ways to make ends meet. But I still believe that is not a speck of dust compared to what others are going through.
What I am about to say isn’t news or a mind-blowing discovery. It is shared wisdom passed on from generation to generation regardless of your heritage simply because it’s the truth and comfort humanity needs during difficult times. After every sunset comes a sunrise, without question. We have to find ways not to linger on our current struggles, past or future because in actuality, those are things we cannot control. All we can do is embrace today and do the best we can with what we have, whatever that means to you in your moment. If you feel generous and want to help others, if you feel lost and need to focus on yourself development, if you feel alone and need to reach out. Trust me in saying that our future forms itself based on our actions today.
I, for one, am a firm believer in meditation and the power of the mind. I am so thankful for a moment I shared with my old manager where he taught me about meditation, actually pretty much said I need to do it based on how my brain handles things. I believe in the silliness of April showers bringing May flowers and that going through difficult times doesn’t define us, just makes us stronger if we can persevere.
So if you want to join me in skipping a few news announcements and turning off the TV, focusing on your day and the loved ones around you, supporting your community and living a fulfilling life… then I believe it’s safe to say that our spring is coming friends. It just has to.
