We're all knee deep in it right now, aren't we? Many of us are holed up at home, and if you're like me you're feeling a mix of emotions: anxiety, gratitude for the blessings I have, and a sort of dazed fascination at all of the things happening right now.
This is my first day of self-quarantine and though I'm a natural introvert and from time to time have entire weekends where I never leave my apartment, this feels different. Having the choice to go out taken away from me has a different air about it. Being unable to visit with friends, or go to favorite local hang outs, or see my family is just a giant bummer.
But I also see it as a great time to dig deeper, and to root gratefully in the things I have in life that keep me happy and sane. For me these are things like reading, writing, playing my violin, talking to my plants, sewing, photography, movies...and so much more. My life is rich and abundant with both relationships and things to occupy my time.
This morning's movie was Mad Max: Fury Road. I stupidly ignored friends' advice five years ago, all of whom were telling me that I absolutely needed to see the film and that it was directly in the center of my odd little wheelhouse - feminist, post-apocalyptic, visually stunning with lots of destructive explosions (sorry...I kinda like action films!), and full of enough symbolism that I could spend hours picking it apart. I finally saw it just a few months ago, and loved it so much that I bought it (while kicking myself for having missed it on the big screen), and I can't stop watching it.
Anyway, I digress. There's a great quote at the end of the film, written by the "The First History Man," a fictional character that exists in the Mad Max universe.
Where must we go, we who wander this wasteland, in search of our better selves?
This hit me hard this morning. Where must we go? Does it take a major event like a pandemic for us to discover our better selves? Must we be met with excruciatingly difficult challenges in order to become better people? The idea makes me sad, but I'm equally heartened by the idea that the actual answer to this question is that we don't have to go anywhere. Our better selves are right along side us, within us, all the time.
The human potential for care gives me hope. We can act with graciousness, kindness, intelligence and heart, with our thoughts turned towards one another, our communities, and our planet. We have the capacity. Don't let this consumerist, work-focused, scarcity mindset and scare tactic world fool you into thinking that we don't know how to take care of one another. We absolutely know how. And I'm hoping this period of slowing down will allow us to see, honor, and embrace our better selves.
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