Sheltering-in-Place, part 2

Greetings to everyone who is sheltering in place as I am.  How are you?  I am fine.  There are many things we could complain about—and if that’s what you want to do, go ahead and vent in the comments section.  I personally have little to grouse about these days.  I am retired so I don’t have to work from home or from anywhere else for that matter.  I have neither children nor elders who need tending or care.  In my writing, I have an outlet for my creativity, my emotions, my spirit, as well as my energy and time.  Finally, as an introvert, I really do like staying home.  I attend four regularly scheduled Zoom gatherings a week.  With that and daily forays onto Facebook, and phone calls with my brother and closest friends, I’m good.  Of course I have concerns like everyone else about where this is leading and how long it will last, but as for me—as an individual—I am weathering this well.

I tell you this so you’ll see how easy it is for me to be optimistic, and yet I’m no Pollyanna.  Even with all my blessings, I get snarky, sarcastic and bitchy too.  Just ask my cats; they hear me screaming at the TV set.

For those of you who have children to educate, elders to care for, jobs you must commute to or maybe telecommute to, or maybe you’ve lost your job, or you have a job but you no longer feel safe there:  these are hard, complicated times and my heart goes out to you.  It is understandable if you feel angry or anxious or sad, even panicky or depressed.  Please don’t feel embarrassed or ashamed of your feelings.  It’s okay to feel the way you feel.

It’s not my intention to give advice or shower you in platitudes.  What we are going through is weird, something out of a science fiction movie or a dystopian novel.  I still can’t wrap my mind around it!  And yet, I know it’s easy for me to say it’s surreal, because as a retired, introverted homebody, life is proceeding with minimal change for me.  I’m sure it feels very REAL for most of you.

I have no wisdom, but I have written a few prayers/affirmations that I’ve posted on Facebook.  People seem to like them so I’ll share a variation of them with you now.  I hope you find them useful.  I hope they give you a bit of hope and peace.

I pray and affirm that this crisis brings clarity to all the people of this precious planet.  I pray that we may realize we are one people, one essence, one spirit within the Divine, leading us to cherish and care for the health and welfare of our families, our community, our environment, and all our neighbors–whether they be next door or on the other side of the world.  In the name all that is sacred, may it be so.  AMEN.

I pray and affirm that this crisis brings a clarity to the people of our nation,  that we may see that we may choose leaders who do not appeal to our weaknesses, our pettiness, our hatred and flaws, but rather we may choose leaders who appeal to excellence, kindness and truth. A new respect for skill, knowledge, expertise, and competence develops as our leaders choose the finest experts in medicine, science, economics, education, and diplomacy, all with a commitment to service and truth.  AMEN.

I pray and affirm that this crisis leads us to become more compassionate, more courageous people.  With our health care workers fighting on the front lines for us, serving as our models, may we all realize the importance of kindness and service to the community.  May we let go of racism, sexism, homophobia and all forms of hatred and division.  May we come to understand the sacred unity we share within the Heart of the Divine.  In the name of all that is sacred, may it be so.  AMEN.

I hope these inspire you to write your own affirmations and prayers, perhaps with the help of your children.  Next week, I’ll talk about shorter, quicker, easier-to-remember prayers!  Be safe.

Photo by tasy5kg