Magical Thinking
A Year Living with COVID-19
The last 12 months are hard to put into words. I am reminded of Joan Didion’s book The Year Of Magical Thinking. The book recounts Didion’s experiences of grief after her husbands’ death. The title refers to magical thinking, that if a person hopes for something then an unavoidable event can be averted.
I think we all would like to have avoided the last 12 months, with the pain and suffering COVID-19 has caused and continues to cause. Everyone has been impacted and many have lost loved ones. The year was not just about COVID-19 but a tipping point for the world.
Bottom line…the year sucked, no way to sugar coat it. It is time to reflect on the year, feel the grief, not bury it deep inside, have a hard cry let it out. At the same time reflect on the good. Yes it might be harder to see, you may need to dig a little deeper but good is there. We need to take both the grief and the good, take action and carry it forward so we grow personally and as a society.
Empathy, empathy, empathy. If you considered yourself not a very empathetic person pre-COVID, the last year forced you…and if you are not a more empathetic person then not sure what I can say. We learned life can be really simple, we make it complicated.
So many things were taken out of our control so we learned to focus on the things we could control. The #1 thing we can control is our mindset, we need to remove the barriers in our mind to have freedom. As individuals we do not choose a negative thought, something externally created the negativity. Think about what created the negative thought and let it go! Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one’s courage. Time to be courageous.
Daily homework going forward:
- Act with compassion;
- Embrace, inhale courage, exhale fear;
- Nothing lasts forever;
- Listen more so we understand each other more;
- Be thankful for the little things;
- Practice random acts of kindness;
- Time is precious, only let in what is bright;
- Let things go;
- You are the light;
- Be kind to yourself;
- Live like it’s your last day.
The The nailed it with their 1983 song “This Is The Day”
“This is the day, your life will surely change
This the day, when things fall into place”
Our lives have surely changed, what we do now based on what we have learned is what matters, actions speak louder than words. So take action and lead, be the captain of your ship. Above all, keep life simple.
Namaste: “All that is good within me honors and respects all that is good within you.”
Start something new in 2022, first set your mindset then dive into group CrossFit classes, customize your fitness with a Personal Trainer, dial in your Nutrition. DO IT, LIFE IS TOO SHORT – CrossFit!
Help First – Positivity – Health
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