Living in 'Standby'

As the situation in our world changes day by day and minute by minute, I am overwhelmed with opinions and thoughts from others. People are talking about what resources we are going to run out of, what they couldn’t buy at the store, how long this is going to last, how many things we cannot do. The theme of all of these conversations is ‘wait it out.’ Waiting for the next speech, waiting for the next shut down, waiting for more groceries to be in stock, waiting for ‘doomsday’……waiting.

One thing that this pandemic has highlighted is that in our modern world, we forgot what it means to live. We have become so busy moving from one thing to the next that any stillness feels uncomfortable and is often considered ‘Waiting.’

The thought of ‘Shelter in Place’ is being dramatized and has been compared to living in an isolate cage where there is only a peep hole from which we may peer at our outside world. If we all take a look at what is going on, I think each of us would be able to highlight a benefit from this ‘shut down,’ more time for family dinners, time to sit and talk with significant others, playing with our children and enjoying our new sofa. We have been forced to become creative in how we do things without resources that we once would have snapped our fingers to make ‘appear.’ We are creative in our work, in our play, in our construction and in our routines. With that said, the overarching theme that continues to hang over us like a dark, luminous cloud is that of ‘waiting’ for this all to end. I often feel alone in my thoughts and judged by others when I say ‘I am going about my life.’ I am not saying that everyone should go out of their houses and hit up the shopping mall, but my son still got a haircut, I still picked up groceries and laughed with friends on the phone.

As news hit last night that a friend of our family unexpectedly passed away yesterday from a heart attack, I am reminded again that time is a GIFT. Time should not be spent waiting for the next shoe to drop or ban to be lifted. It should be lived with what is present and available at the very moment. The next moment is never promised, pandemic or no pandemic.

I challenge you to live tonight in the moment. Make Coronavirus to check itself at the door. Do not allow it to track its dirty, slop-filled feet through your mind. Allow your mind to clear and open to the beautiful world around you tonight. Take it all that you have and LIVE. Live in full flight, don’t hang out in standby waiting for a better day to come along. This is your day. This is your moment. Live it.