We WILL Come Through This!

No, this isn’t another article telling you to wash your hands or stay home for some period of time.

It’s a message of gratitude and hope.

Today, we are bombarded with everything that is scary and unknown.

Every time we open our email, there are another hundred emails telling us they are “sorry” and “closely monitoring the situation.” I didn’t even realize how many email lists I was on.

Other media outlets aren’t much better. Terrifying headlines are click bait.

We understand this is serious.

We understand we have to be sensible and careful (unlike the woman who was diagnosed with COVID-19 and instead of going straight home from her doctor’s office, she decided to stop by the store to return something – what was she thinking?????).

I suggest taking a break from all the messages and discussions even if it is just for a little bit.

Sunday, I turned it all off and just watched recorded TV shows and movies, fast-forwarding through the news alerts, as I did my jigsaw puzzles. I hadn’t felt that good in a week and I was on vacation the week before!

This break gave me some great perspective. I was able to see things more clearly. I realized the following:

• While all the changes are very disruptive and unplanned, we are working through them better than expected. Last year, our company prepared for the possible power outages in California, so we were already a virtually operating company, including the phone system, which many businesses are lacking. I’m grateful we did that work last year even though it was unplanned and I was grumbling about it at the time. It paid off brilliantly this year.
• There have been many world challenges that have happened in the past and we are in a much better place than others were when it happened to them. There is starting to be worldwide collaboration to solve the problem. We are not out of the woods yet, but progress is being made, not that it is highlighted in the media or felt yet.
• People are coming together. People are putting family first. The other day my son was home baking brownies (“survival food”) with my granddaughters and wasn’t working 12 hours a day with a 4-hour commute.
• I bought a 12-pack of toilet paper the week before the shoppers went crazy. Who would have thought that growing up with a mom who survived the depression and taught me to always have stock on hand would pay off like this?!

We will work through this and figure out how to overcome all the financial challenges this has caused if we remain calm and take it one day and one problem at a time. This will pass with time just as all the past world tragedies have.

Here are some suggestions you might want to consider:

1. Find something each day that brings you joy. I play ball with my dog, who is clueless about what is going on. She just thinks I’m home working, so I have more opportunities to throw her ball.
2. Stay informed but not inundated. I’ve decided to turn off all media. I’m not suggesting you put your head in the sand and pretend this isn’t happening, but rather find a source you trust so you are informed only and not a victim of scare tactics. I check in with the CDC at this website https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/cases-updates/cases-in-us.html to understand the latest information.
3. Stay virtually connected. Our virtual platform for communication is Zoom. We have a companywide “Thought of the Day” channel where we communicate about random stuff. One of the conversations we recently had was about our family members (two- and four-legged) who interrupt our workday. They all have been collectively labeled “co-workers”. The funny stories that were told brought us much needed laughter and togetherness.
4. Start up or pick up a hobby. Now is a good time to take up a hobby you’ve wanted to do or pick up an old one you were too busy for in your “normal” life. I’m going to pick up making greeting cards again, plus I have a whole bookshelf of books I’ve been meaning to read. This will give us something productive to do while we wait for everything to unfold.
5. Set your intentions daily. I am a huge fan of setting intentions of what I want. Many times per day I set the intention (positive visualization) that everyone is healthy, and the world is back to normal. This makes me feel calm and hopeful. It’s free, easy, and can’t hurt, so what’s the harm in trying this? At least it’s something positive I can do.

No doubt we are in uncharted territory and figuring this out as we go.

Let’s make this a time to hold our families and friends tight (even if virtually).

Let’s make this a time for courage to proceed in spite of our fears.

Let’s make this a time to reassure each other that we WILL come through this!

Please let us know if there is anything ClearPath can do to help make this time easier for you.