There is a backhanded Chinese curse which says, “May he live in interesting times.”
We certainly live in interesting times! Worldwide, people are affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. We are practicing social distancing and, in a lot of cases, a shelter order has been placed. Here in Utah, on top of all of this, we experienced a significant earthquake that measured 5.7 on the Richter scale, and hundreds of aftershocks over the next several days. While damage was limited and there were no serious injuries; it caused us to question our preparedness and ask ourselves, “Are You Ready?”
The obvious question in these interesting times is, “Am I prepared to live in my home for a few weeks or more without going to the store for more supplies?” “Do I have the necessities that I need to not only eat and drink, but to care for myself if I am to get sick?”
Health organizations worldwide have long warned that there could be a worldwide pandemic that may cause us to ‘shelter in place.’ I confess we were not as fully prepared as we once were. We have made more than one trip to the store to replenish our supply of medicine, household supplies and that most precious commodity of all – toilet paper!
The COVID-19 pandemic and the earthquake here in Utah, have certainly managed to grasp our attention. I’m confident all of us have made personal commitments to be better prepared for sudden disasters. But, being prepared for earthquakes and pandemic viruses is not the purpose of this blog. I trust we all got that message loud and clear. ٩(˘◡˘)۶ We would like to share with you some other, ‘Am I ready?’ questions that we have been thinking about.
What about your personal relationships?
How have you been handling this situation in terms of your relationships? Do you have strained relationships with those you love the most that should be reconciled? Do you have situations that would be best if forgiveness were to take a front seat and heal a relationship? We never know what will happen. In a split-second life can be taken. Are your relationships in a place where if your loved one were to not be here tomorrow, you would have no regrets? Could your most valuable relationships use some of your attention right now while you have extra time to focus on what really matters to you?
These are tough times. These are stressful times. But they do not have to be compounded with feelings of guilt and despair because we were not willing to do something about it. Right now, we desperately need to be strong for each other. This whole situation is hard! We get to reach out to each other in love and harmony and assist each other to make it through all of this.
What about your spirituality?
No matter your spiritual path, it is in times like these that our spirituality is triggered. Do you believe in something bigger than yourself? Whether that is God, a higher self or the Universe, it is during challenging times that we feel comfort and peace because of our spiritual preparation. We dig deep into our souls to find the strength to continue and the determination to look outside of ourselves and go to service of others.
What are you able to do during this time of turmoil and strife to bless the lives of your family, your friends and your loved ones? Let’s take this one step further. What could you do for your neighbors or even the stranger? When we take our focus off of ourselves and place it on ‘how could I serve another’, our own burdens are lifted. We gain strength beyond measure when we can serve others and find joy in the journey, even when it is difficult.
Strength during tough times can be drawn from our spirituality. Our strength in knowing something bigger than ourselves. The power of prayer and believing. Being prepared spiritually can mean reading from the good books and having a connection to a higher power. It can also mean knowing that what you put out there in the world will come back to you.
This past couple of weeks it has been absolutely offensive to see people fighting over packages of toilet paper and bottled water! People hording supplies, knowing others would be going completely without. Watching even our own son try to find even one more container of formula for his baby was both sad and miraculous. Sad that the specific brand that he needed is not available anywhere…cannot be purchased online…gone! Yet, he posted his need on social media and explained his situation with his recent divorce and the specific formula he needed, and the outpouring was amazing. A sweet young mother, who did not need the formula had two brand new sealed containers. People are GOOD! There is good out there! Sometimes we must look for it, but you can find it! We can all be that good! We can all give of ourselves to strengthen our community at this hard time. We can all make a difference right now for ourselves and others!
What about me?
We have a charming 3-year-old grandson who often asks the question, “What about me?” Just the other day, his Uncle stopped by to say hi to the kids. As he was getting ready to leave, he had told the three-year-old that he loved him, but while standing on the porch he then pointed to the older sister and said, “Uncle Jesse loves you.” Our grandson immediately piped up with his signature question, “But, what about me?”
Our question for you is this: “What about You?” How are YOU? We talk about this a lot but during this time of trouble, if you are not good with yourself, you will have additional struggle!
You have got to take the time to keep in good graces with yourself. This means:
good self-care
talking positively
being gentle with yourself
getting extra rest
eating healthy
exercising
getting fresh air
good thoughts
having declarations
purpose
service
trusting yourself
unconditional love
spiritual connection
kindness
forgiveness
faith
determination
Although this is the tip of the iceberg, all of these will play a huge part in how you get through this trial. You must have a strong foundation and be good to yourself. Believe in You! You will weather this storm significantly better if you are strong within your own skin. Embrace your confidence, embrace your strength, trust your wisdom and stand up for you. You can do this! You can do hard things! Believe it or not, you will be stronger when this is all over if you will trust in this process and strive to make the most of it.
I can sleep while the wind blows.
Years ago, a farmer owned land along the Atlantic seacoast. He constantly advertised for hired hands. Most people were reluctant to work on farms along the Atlantic. They dreaded the awful storms that raged across the Atlantic, wreaking havoc on the buildings and crops.
As the farmer interviewed applicants for the job, he received a steady stream of refusals. Finally, a short, thin man, well past middle age, came to apply for the job. “Are you a good farm hand?” the farmer asked him. “Well, I can sleep when the wind blows,” answered the little man. Although puzzled by this answer, the farmer, desperate for help, hired him.
The little man worked well around the farm, busy from dawn to dusk, and the farmer felt satisfied with the man’s work. Then one night the wind howled loudly in from offshore. Jumping out of bed, the farmer grabbed a lantern and rushed next door to the hired hand’s sleeping quarters.
He shook the little man and yelled, “Get up! A storm is coming! We need to tie things down before they blow away!” The little man rolled over in bed and said firmly, “No sir. I told you, I can sleep when the wind blows.”
Angered by the response, the farmer was tempted to fire him on the spot. Instead, he hurried outside to prepare for the storm. To his amazement, he discovered that all the haystacks had been covered with tarpaulins.
The cows were in the barn, the chickens were in the coops, and the doors were barred. The shutters were tightly secured. Everything was tied down. Nothing could blow away. The farmer then understood what his hired hand meant, so he returned to his bed to also sleep while the wind blew.
Prepare yourselves so that right now as the wind is blowing and the storms feel out of control, you can sleep while the wind blows. If you feel you are lacking in some of these areas, start there! Begin where you are and build from there! It is not too late to prepare yourself to be stronger. Never give up!
We love you! We pray for you. We hope that you are doing well and that you can have the strength to weather this storm. Trust your intuition. Be brave and stand strong. We are all in this together, and together we can handle this!
Last week we wrote a blog about Just BE. Here is a reminder of what we get to BE right now, for ourselves, for our families and friends, for loved ones as well as our neighbors and strangers:
We want to encourage you to BE all that you can BE!
Be Brave.
Be Resourceful.
Be Strong for your family.
Be Diligent to your beliefs.
Be Kind to your neighbors.
Be loving in all that you do.
Be Good to those you come in contact with.
Be Willing to be different than what people have seen.
Be Aware and Respectful of others and what they are facing.
Be Forgiving to those around you that are not acting in a way that they should.
The obvious question in these interesting times is, “Am I prepared to live in my home for a few weeks or more without going to the store for more supplies?” “Do I have the necessities that I need to not only eat and drink, but to care for myself if I am to get sick?”
How have you been handling this situation in terms of your relationships? Do you have strained relationships with those you love the most that should be reconciled? Do you have situations that would be best if forgiveness were to take a front seat and heal a relationship? We never know what will happen. In a split-second life can be taken. Are your relationships in a place where if your loved one were to not be here tomorrow, you would have no regrets? Could your most valuable relationships use some of your attention right now while you have extra time to focus on what really matters to you?
because of our spiritual preparation. We dig deep into our souls to find the strength to continue and the determination to look outside of ourselves and go to service of others.
We have a charming 3-year-old grandson who often asks the question, “What about me?” Just the other day, his Uncle stopped by to say hi to the kids. As he was getting ready to leave, he had told the three-year-old that he loved him, but while standing on the porch he then pointed to the older sister and said, “Uncle Jesse loves you.” Our grandson immediately piped up with his signature question, “But, what about me?”
As the farmer interviewed applicants for the job, he received a steady stream of refusals. Finally, a short, thin man, well past middle age, came to apply for the job. “Are you a good farm hand?” the farmer asked him. “Well, I can sleep when the wind blows,” answered the little man. Although puzzled by this answer, the farmer, desperate for help, hired him.
Prepare yourselves so that right now as the wind is blowing and the storms feel out of control, you can sleep while the wind blows. If you feel you are lacking in some of these areas, start there! Begin where you are and build from there! It is not too late to prepare yourself to be stronger. Never give up!