This too shall pass

Impermanence—everything changes—who knew our world could turn upside down in a matter of days and weeks? I have taught about impermanence for years and I always emphasize everything change including unpleasant things. This crisis will end and life will get back to a new normal. Hopefully we will learn something from it.

Connectedness—if we ever needed a reminder that we are all connected and that our neighbour’s welfare is our welfare—this is a hell of a reminder. Hopefully when this passes, and it will, we will remember this lesson. We need to remember if one of us is hurting we all are. Right now connect with those you love, support businesses that may be struggling if you can (buy take out, order on-line etc.) and stay home. We need to beat this thing together.

Self-Care and Self-Compassion—these are not selfish. They are the least selfish thing we can do. For now self-care means distancing ourselves from others, practicing good hygiene, eating well, exercising (even if it is very different than our usual exercise practice), being kind to ourselves and taking care of our mental health. We can’t be there for others when they need us if we aren’t there for ourselves first.

Staying in the moment—we have never been here before. We don’t know what the future holds, except that this will pass—when and what happens in between now and then is yet to be seen. Stay in now—recognize that in this moment you are OK, recognize you are doing everything you can to support your own well-being and the well-being of others and resist the urge to wallow in constant news updates—even the experts don’t know everything and they get things wrong.

So stay safe, stay healthy and send some lovingkindness to others today.