How are you doing? Maybe a strange way to start a written
piece, which is obviously one-way communication. But that is what I really want
to ask everyone reading this. Not just how are you physically, but how are you
really doing?
During this strange and challenging time, I’m sharing a bit
more of a personal message than normal here.
For me, I’ve continued working. Although there has been nothing normal about our work right now, continuing to come into my normal work environment has helped maintain some normalcy in my life. At the other end of the spectrum, there is nothing normal at all about educating my 8- year-old daughter at home. She’s a great kid, pretty responsible and decent student. It has still been a major change and time-consuming to do school at home. Huge props to all the school folks working so hard to deliver instruction, materials, food, encouragement and virtual contact to support students and us parents through these changes.
But aside from all the big things like work and school
changes, we are all dealing with other substantive changes. Disconnect from
family, friends, activities, milestone events, routine, structure, space,
normalcy. How do we deal with this? How do we suddenly adjust a lifetime of
habits and mental/emotional wiring focused in a certain way of existence to a
completely different model? And how do we do it immediately and in the midst of
disruption? I don’t have the answer.
At the root of all of these is a sense of loss. Loss of
making a living, loss of self-respect, loss of progress and plans, hopes and
dreams. Some people are dealing with a loss of health and even loss of life. As
we move back to more activity and slowly reactivating some areas of life, we
have to remember that people (we) are dealing with loss. And the feeling of
loss has long-lasting implications. It doesn’t go away when we try to get back
to “normal.”
Maybe some of these thoughts resonate with you.
As we strive to get through, my best thought comes in two
different forms – Grace and Roll With It.
We have to give everyone grace. We often are reminded that we don’t know what is really going on in the lives of people we encounter in our movements each day. And that most people are dealing with something. Well right now, we KNOW everyone is dealing with something. It may be different from what we are dealing with, but everyone is affected right now. So let’s start with Grace for everyone.
And Roll With It. Not quite as smooth and classy sounding as
Grace, but important right now just the same. We have to be determined to get
through what this situation throws at us, adjust, deal with it and keep
rolling. Stopping or giving up is never an option.
So as we navigate these uncertain times, it’s OK to not feel normal. And for that, you deserve grace as well.
Davette B. Swiney
CKCF President and CEO