Appreciate nature, which continues to share its beauty with undiminished generosity. This time can be understood as a social reset button, a disruption in our old patterns and rhythms in order to formulate new and healthier social norms.Ī few suggestions that may help through these periods of solitude and anxiety. I encourage all of us to find ways to stay connected and, when possible and safe, to be of help. These sorts of actions are so healing to communities dealing with crisis. There is a large elderly population where we live, and I now see similar open offers of help being posted by many people on our local neighborhood bulletin board. We were deeply touched and realized just how profound a simple offer of neighborly help can be, and how rare it is for all of us. While she was there some neighbors we'd never met before approached but kept a safe distance, and told my wife that they knew her mother lived here and was elderly and they offered to help in any way they could - run errands, pick up medicines. A few days ago, my wife was checking in on her mother, who lives nearby. While we may feel like there is an enforced distance and isolation happening, it is important for us to remember that there is, in fact, no distance, except whatever distance we carry in our hearts.Įven in my own neighborhood I have witnessed some truly moving acts of connection happening. We can view it as a challenge, or an invitation, if we like, to dispel the illusion of separation and, instead, to open our hearts, to connect genuinely, and to re-establish community. I feel that, on some level, that is at the heart of what this illness represents - just as it forces us to keep our distance, it highlights the need for connection. In this period of social distancing, connection is such an important thing. In the midst of work and scrambling, like all of you, to make sure my family is safe and provided for as best as possible through the shifting dynamics of this outbreak, I have also been trying to find the time to connect with all of you and send out another poem.
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