Lessons From Behind Closed Doors

This past week I have had the privilege of being able to take a deep breath – Something that so many facing this virus are struggling to do at the moment. 

I am someone that is constantly going a hundred miles per hour. I eat fast, talk fast, drive fast…This week has felt like a fever dream, but has also forced me to slow down. Everyone has had to give something up, no matter how big or small. There have been some devastating losses and people all over the world are feeling every ounce of it. But there have also been momentous gains. The Earth is thanking us for clear skies, people are singing in the streets, helping their neighbors’ buy groceries. People are doing for others instead of thinking of themselves and their monotonous daily tasks.

I keep thinking that this all feels a bit biblical, like Noah’s Ark or the story of Sodom and Gomorrah. My favorite quote is by Kurt Vonnegut in his novel, Slaughterhouse-Five. “Then the lord rained upon Sodom and Gomorrah brimstone and fire…There were vile people in both those cities, as is well known…Lot’s wife, of course, was told not to look back where all those people and their homes had been. But she did look back, and I love her for that, because it was so human.” 

In this time of indefinite uncertainty, people are becoming truly human.

Here are some lessons that I have reminded myself during these past few days: 

The most important things in life, are not things. What comes first is health, loved ones, and time – Something that not all of us are entitled to. 

There will always be someone who has it better than you and someone who is worse off. When you focus on what you have, rather than what you do not, you will be a happier person. Gratitude is key. 

Your body is a vessel. Use it. Some people do not have that privilege.

Not everyone has the same heart as you and that’s okay. Love because you want to give not because you want to receive.

You are allowed to take up space.

The sun is still setting and it is still rising. So will we. 

May we take this time to learn, to grow, to understand one another, to laugh, to dance…

May we all lean into the good things.

love, emily lauren