Corona Diary ‒2020- March CD2020-03

Liz Pearl @ PK Press

Pause • Gratitude

We are all on pause; actually, most of us are on pause. Essential services are on fast forward; many of them are working frantically under unimaginably difficult circumstances to support our collective health and safety. We owe these courageous folks a giant debt of gratitude today, and every single day. So let’s all do our part to lift their morale in any meaningful we can, today, and every day. Send donations; deliver home-cooked food, forward messages and emojis, whatever. Gratitude and creativity yield incredible results.

Like almost all of us, I cannot go to work, I cannot go to the gym; and I cannot visit my friends and my family. I am grateful that I can do some work from my home. I am grateful for my housemates currently in my Covid mini-household group; we are learning to navigate our unexpected circumstances, day by day. I am grateful to my friends and extended family, and we remain connected from afar. I have never been more grateful for social media and apps to keep us all connected. I can’t help but wonder how different our daily lives would be in the event of a pandemic prior to the internet. My iPhone and iPad are my lifeline to the world; and so I disinfect them daily with great care.

Family Zoom time

Each day I make a productive schedule and do my best to follow-through, sometimes I procrastinate. That’s OK.

I’m listening to compelling podcasts and reading and writing, or at least I am intending to, somedays are better than others. That’s OK. Each new day offers a fresh start.

There are an abundance of rewarding opportunities for volunteering with marginalized and vulnerable populations in our communities. Now is the time to step-up.

Body • Mind • Spirit

I am keenly focused on my health and well-being. Comprehensive self-care is a Covid priority. The interconnectedness of my personal physical, mental and spiritual well-being has never been more clear to me.

Eat, exercise, hydrate, connect, learn, teach, support, produce, create, day-dream, sleep, repeat.

The unnerving fear, anxiety, anger, grief and guilt we each feel, will inevitably seep their way into the weakest part of our body or into the tiniest sinuses, like a toxic injection, every time. Anyone who lives with a chronic condition knows this worrisome pattern to be oh, so true.

I have lived with depression and anxiety and sciatica for decades; I continually check my healing tool-box and replenish as needed. (Previous posts on this topic are sitting somewhere in my desk top files.)

Several days ago, just as I was getting into the groove of my new Covid daily routine, I awoke with an unforgiving toothache—UGH. Initially, I tried denial and optimism but low and behold, I soon found myself reluctantly texting a dentist friend who promptly provided telephone and clinical urgent-care as needed. The dental case is ongoing, and I will require invasive oral surgery at some future point; I am hoping to manage with Plan A until post-Covid. Lots of unknowns. This minor disruption has forced me to be resourceful, and savvy, and remain as calm as possible.

I send you all wishes for resourcefulness, fortitude, stamina and patience as we each navigate our daily challenges during this unique global crisis.

My current toothache notwithstanding, I nurture my mind, body and soul, daily.

Daily pleasures include cooking and baking wholesome food. Yes, some delicious treats too. Caffeine and sweets to give me a short-term boost. I practice yoga (modified), stretching, and enjoy fresh air walks daily. If I can muster the motivation and energy I include (online) Pilates or a kickboxing class; there has never been a better time to try-out different fitness classes and gyms. I’m not really a bootcamp or HIIT girl. That’s OK.

Highlight of the week: comfort food after eating healthy all day.

Music is magical. Listening, singing and dancing!! Perhaps another day I will share my Covid Playlist. There have never been more complementary online concerts and I thoroughly enjoy them.

So, a few days ago, I found myself lying on my comfy couch in my cozy pajamas enjoying a favourite Israeli musician performing. I took it up a notch and added a glass of chilled Pinot Grigio and a bag of salty Skinny pop; it was really fun. Mid-song I started wondering if this midday sojourn might become a slippery slope and so I put the glass and snacks aside for Saturday evening…

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Afternoon concert with Idan Raichel enjoyed with wine and Skinny-pop.

News‒essential but limited. This is tricky, finding a healthy balance between being well-informed in a dynamic situation and becoming destructively overloaded. My family keeps me in check and I am monitored for my quantity and quality of news reporting in our family chat groups and dinnertime conversation. We are all imperfect and I have a tendency toward maximizing rather than minimizing. That’s OK.

It’s easy to waste time with social media surfing nonsense, sending hilarious clips and outrageous memes to everyone and anyone, as we are all trying to maintain our sanity. A healthy dose of humour is wonderful. We are all in this chaos together. I am trying to find the right balance between productivity and lazy. For me, boredom is not on the table.

Let’s all use this unplanned pause to connect and create, produce, dream, reflect, introspect, and develop ourselves.

I can’t recall the last time I attended Shabbat services on a random Saturday. Last Saturday I enjoyed the live-streamed service (in PJs on my couch with personal Kiddush accoutrements) and I look forward to this upcoming Shabbat. There has never been a better time for prayer and community.

Thank you to all of the charismatic fitness instructors, talented musicians, inspiring spiritual leaders, and insightful therapists of every imaginable kind, for keeping us sane, entertained and engaged.

Shabbat services live-streamed with Rabbi Yossi, in my pjs on my couch.

I urge you all to begin your own Covid Diary: for yourself, for your network and for the future. I guarantee you will revere the treasured journal some day. Contact me through PK Press for innovative writing prompts and support. We are all in this together.

Everyone has a Story. What’s Yours? Share your Story; Leave a Legacy. —PK Press